The ACT Government will crack down on illegal tobacco and e-cigarettes. New laws introduced to the Legislative Assembly expand inspectors’ powers to enter and search premises, seize illicit goods, and issue fines of up to $1,600 for selling banned products.
The Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Amendment Bill 2025, introduced by health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA, classifies illicit tobacco as a prohibited smoking product, retain seized goods without compensation, updates ID card requirements to reduce occupational violence, and clarifies technical enforcement provisions.
“The ACT Government is committed to ensuring our regulatory agencies are equipped to respond to emerging risks, including illegal tobacco and vaping products,” health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA said. “These amendments are part of our broader commitment to protecting the community from the harms of tobacco and e-cigarettes.
These reforms build on legislation passed in April, which aligned ACT vaping laws with Commonwealth legislation and classified all non-therapeutic vaping products as prohibited smoking products.
“Modernising the ACT Government’s enforcement powers is essential to keeping pace with the evolving tactics used in the illicit tobacco and vaping trade,” Tara Cheyne MLA, minister for city and government services, said.
“The sale and supply of illicit tobacco is already illegal in the ACT and by classifying illicit tobacco as a prohibited smoking product it will give authorised officers in Access Canberra the powers they need to act swiftly and proportionately.”
The government will make further reforms to fight crime associated with the illicit tobacco trade in other jurisdictions.
“We are not stopping here,” Ms Stephen-Smith said. “The ACT Government will bring forward further reforms in 2026 targeting the illicit tobacco trade.
“We will continue to work closely with our Commonwealth, state and territory partners as part of national efforts to tackle the illicit tobacco and e-cigarette trade. A coordinated national approach is essential to effectively combat this growing black market.”
However, Canberra Liberals MLA Mrs Deborah Morris, shadow minister for police, said: “We’ve consistently called on the Government to strengthen laws that give police the powers they need to crack down on the illicit tobacco trade. This is both a health and community safety issue, it’s disappointing that action has taken this long.”
The government is investing more than $1.2 million over three years in smoking and vaping cessation support services, including the upgraded ACT Quitline service launched in July with digital support, and a pilot youth-targeted service that will open before the end of the year, a spokesperson said.
The 2024 Healthy Canberra Grant round supports Cancer Council ACT and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT to train the ACT community to reduce nicotine dependence in priority populations.
For information about where to get help to quit smoking or vaping, call the Quitline on 13 QUIT (13 7848) or click here.
