Latest news with #Coles
Sky News AU
14 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News AU
'Nicotine is addictive as heroin': Lung Foundation Australia calls for crackdown on sale of cigarettes at supermarkets
Australia's leading body for lung health is pushing the government to ban the sale of cigarettes from the nation's big supermarkets, in a bid to put health before profits. Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke has claimed it is "irresponsible" to allow people to purchase cigarettes with their milk and bread during weekly grocery shops. 'We need everyone from government to big corporations to put the lung health of Australians ahead of profits from a product that kills 66 Australians daily,' he said. 'Previous news reports have highlighted Coles estimates their cigarette sales each year is enough to kill more than 1,600 Australians and cause tobacco-related medical costs of more than $300 million a year." Former tobacco addict Sarah Waters also joined the crackdown and shared she had been a smoker for 28 years, starting at the age of 13. Ms Waters attributed her long-term addiction to the lack of restrictions prohibiting the sale of tobacco to underage people. 'It isn't easy to quit but not being able to buy cigarettes so easily would have made a big difference," she said. "When I started smoking there was no age limits in place and they were marketed to young people as being cool." Lung Foundation Australia has urged the government to restrict the number of tobacco retail outlets via their tobacco licensing schemes. A new tobacco licensing scheme is set to take effect across New South Wales from July 1, requiring all tobacco retailers and wholesalers to have a license to sell tobacco and non-tobacco smoking products in the state. In NSW it is also illegal for any retailers other than a pharmacy to sell any type of vaping good, regardless of its nicotine content. "The federal government can support broader efforts by investigating the health and economic impacts of a generational phase out of tobacco products," Lung Foundation Australia said. Associate Professor Henry Marshall compared nicotine addition to the same as heroine and suggested the only difference between the two, is the latter cannot be bought at a supermarket. 'People who smoke deserve more help from health professionals and the government. I would like to see people demand action from the multinational tobacco companies who have known smoking causes lung cancer since before 1954 and continued to sell products to make profit off Australians," he said. "It is time we said, 'enough is enough'. 'It is hard to fight an addiction while also being able to buy tobacco products so easily.'
West Australian
20 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
Lung foundation calls for supermarkets to be banned from selling tobacco
Supermarkets should be banned from selling cigarettes, the Lung Foundation of Australia says. The foundation has floated the ban as a means to stop smokers being tempted to buy a pack or a pouch alongside their groceries. 'We need everyone from government to big corporations to put the lung health of Australians ahead of profits from a product that kills 66 Australians daily,' foundation chief executive Mark Brooke said. 'Previous news reports have highlighted Coles estimates their cigarette sales each year is enough to kill more than 1600 Australians and cause tobacco-related medical costs of more than $300m a year.' Former smoker Sarah Waters has joined the campaign for cigarettes to be banned from supermarkets. Ms Waters started smoking aged 13, and continued for nearly 30 years. 'It isn't easy to quit but not being able to buy cigarettes so easily would have made a big difference. When I started smoking there was no age limits in place, and they were marketed to young people as being cool.' Prince Charles Hospital thoracic physician Henry Marshall said nicotine is as addictive as heroin. 'The difference is you can't buy heroin with your weekly shopping.' 'It is hard to fight an addiction while also being able to buy tobacco products so easily.' Professor Marshall has thrown his voice behind the lung foundation's calls for a ban. 'People who smoke deserve more help from health professionals and the government,' he said. 'I would like to see people demand action from the multinational tobacco companies who have known smoking causes lung cancer since before 1954 and continued to sell products to make profit off Australians. It is time we said, 'enough is enough'.' The Lung Foundation is calling for the government to ban supermarkets from selling tobacco products. In response, Coles said in a statement it is providing smokers with a legal way to obtain tobacco. 'Coles complies with all Commonwealth, State and Territory laws aimed at minimising the negative health effects of tobacco use, however we recognise the need to provide choice to those customers who wish to purchase these products legally,' a spokesperson told NewsWire. Woolworths has been approached for comment. Earlier this year, IGA reported it had lost $150m of revenue over three years, as tobacco black market sales skyrocketed across the country. Australians have comprehensively turned to the black market for cigarettes and tobacco, as the tax on legal smokes becomes unaffordable. The taxes the federal government takes from tobacco have plummeted from $16.3bn five years ago, to $7.4bn this year. Smoking rates have fallen from 20 per cent of the population in 2001, to about 8 per cent now, the latest government data shows.
Perth Now
20 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Push to ban ciggies from supermarkets
Supermarkets should be banned from selling cigarettes, the Lung Foundation of Australia says. The foundation has floated the ban as a means to stop smokers being tempted to buy a pack or a pouch alongside their groceries. 'We need everyone from government to big corporations to put the lung health of Australians ahead of profits from a product that kills 66 Australians daily,' foundation chief executive Mark Brooke said. 'Previous news reports have highlighted Coles estimates their cigarette sales each year is enough to kill more than 1600 Australians and cause tobacco-related medical costs of more than $300m a year.' Former smoker Sarah Waters has joined the campaign for cigarettes to be banned from supermarkets. Sales of legal cigarettes have plummeted in Australia. NewsWire Credit: NCA NewsWire Ms Waters started smoking aged 13, and continued for nearly 30 years. 'It isn't easy to quit but not being able to buy cigarettes so easily would have made a big difference. When I started smoking there was no age limits in place, and they were marketed to young people as being cool.' Prince Charles Hospital thoracic physician Henry Marshall said nicotine is as addictive as heroin. 'The difference is you can't buy heroin with your weekly shopping.' 'It is hard to fight an addiction while also being able to buy tobacco products so easily.' Professor Marshall has thrown his voice behind the lung foundation's calls for a ban. 'People who smoke deserve more help from health professionals and the government,' he said. Coles says it is providing smokers the choice to buy legal tobacco products. NewsWire / Liam Kidston Credit: News Corp Australia 'I would like to see people demand action from the multinational tobacco companies who have known smoking causes lung cancer since before 1954 and continued to sell products to make profit off Australians. It is time we said, 'enough is enough'.' The Lung Foundation is calling for the government to ban supermarkets from selling tobacco products. In response, Coles said in a statement it is providing smokers with a legal way to obtain tobacco. 'Coles complies with all Commonwealth, State and Territory laws aimed at minimising the negative health effects of tobacco use, however we recognise the need to provide choice to those customers who wish to purchase these products legally,' a spokesperson told NewsWire. Woolworths has been approached for comment. Earlier this year, IGA reported it had lost $150m of revenue over three years, as tobacco black market sales skyrocketed across the country. Australians have comprehensively turned to the black market for cigarettes and tobacco, as the tax on legal smokes becomes unaffordable. The taxes the federal government takes from tobacco have plummeted from $16.3bn five years ago, to $7.4bn this year. Smoking rates have fallen from 20 per cent of the population in 2001, to about 8 per cent now, the latest government data shows.
News.com.au
20 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Lung foundation calls for supermarkets to be banned from selling tobacco
Supermarkets should be banned from selling cigarettes, the Lung Foundation of Australia says. The foundation has floated the ban as a means to stop smokers being tempted to buy a pack or a pouch alongside their groceries. 'We need everyone from government to big corporations to put the lung health of Australians ahead of profits from a product that kills 66 Australians daily,' foundation chief executive Mark Brooke said. 'Previous news reports have highlighted Coles estimates their cigarette sales each year is enough to kill more than 1600 Australians and cause tobacco-related medical costs of more than $300m a year.' Former smoker Sarah Waters has joined the campaign for cigarettes to be banned from supermarkets. Ms Waters started smoking aged 13, and continued for nearly 30 years. 'It isn't easy to quit but not being able to buy cigarettes so easily would have made a big difference. When I started smoking there was no age limits in place, and they were marketed to young people as being cool.' Prince Charles Hospital thoracic physician Henry Marshall said nicotine is as addictive as heroin. 'The difference is you can't buy heroin with your weekly shopping.' 'It is hard to fight an addiction while also being able to buy tobacco products so easily.' Professor Marshall has thrown his voice behind the lung foundation's calls for a ban. 'People who smoke deserve more help from health professionals and the government,' he said. 'I would like to see people demand action from the multinational tobacco companies who have known smoking causes lung cancer since before 1954 and continued to sell products to make profit off Australians. It is time we said, 'enough is enough'.' The Lung Foundation is calling for the government to ban supermarkets from selling tobacco products. In response, Coles said in a statement it is providing smokers with a legal way to obtain tobacco. 'Coles complies with all Commonwealth, State and Territory laws aimed at minimising the negative health effects of tobacco use, however we recognise the need to provide choice to those customers who wish to purchase these products legally,' a spokesperson told NewsWire. Woolworths has been approached for comment. Earlier this year, IGA reported it had lost $150m of revenue over three years, as tobacco black market sales skyrocketed across the country. Australians have comprehensively turned to the black market for cigarettes and tobacco, as the tax on legal smokes becomes unaffordable. The taxes the federal government takes from tobacco have plummeted from $16.3bn five years ago, to $7.4bn this year. Smoking rates have fallen from 20 per cent of the population in 2001, to about 8 per cent now, the latest government data shows.
7NEWS
21 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Police reject independent probe into death in custody of Indigenous man with disability at Cole in Alice Springs
Calls for an independent probe into a young man's death in custody have been rejected by police after an emotional vigil. Family and supporters shed tears and demanded justice when they gathered in Alice Springs CBD on Friday to remember the mentally disabled 24-year-old. The vigil was held at the Coles supermarket where the young man from the small desert town of Yuendumu was restrained by two police officers. 'We want justice,' the man's grandfather, Yuendumu elder and Warlpiri man Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves told the packed gathering. The young man, who is understood to have been under a guardianship order and on a National Disability Insurance Scheme plan, allegedly assaulted a security guard who accused him of shoplifting. A police investigation has been launched after the man fell unconscious while restrained on Tuesday and died about an hour later at Alice Springs Hospital. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy believes an independent death in custody probe may be warranted. She said wounds had been reopened for the people of Yuendumu by the latest incident after 'many traumas'. 'In the interest of having some separation, calls for an independent investigation may be warranted. It may be important to do that, given that there is such tension,' Senator McCarthy told ABC. 'Tragic death' Advocates such as Amnesty International have also backed an independent investigation to 'ensure impartiality and to maintain public confidence in the process'. But NT Police on Friday 'respectfully' rejected the suggestion, saying their investigation would operate under strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. 'The Northern Territory Police Force acknowledges the tragic death of a 24-year-old man in Alice Springs on Tuesday,' Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. 'On behalf of NT police, I extend sincere condolences to his family, friends and community. 'I understand the high level of public interest in this matter. However, I respectfully reject calls for the investigation to be handed to an external body.' The acting commissioner said he had spoken with Senator McCarthy about her suggestion and conveyed his confidence in the 'robust and well-established' system of oversight in place. 'I also expressed my full confidence in our detectives and the independent processes already in place within the NT Police Force,' he said. 'We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course. We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts.' The incident has sparked widespread anger, with hundreds attending Friday's vigil. Family and supporters demanded answers during speeches, asking witnesses to come forward. They then entered the Coles supermarket wearing ceremonial paint and carrying branches. 'Further investigation' Police late on Thursday alleged the 24-year-old man assaulted a woman not known to him in the Alice Springs CBD prior to the Coles incident and said they were investigating. They also revealed an autopsy had found the man's death was 'undetermined'. The preliminary result would require 'further investigation to provide any substantive cause of death', NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said in a statement. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The latest death has prompted the Yuendumu community to consider postponing a June 10 visit by Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage to announce her findings in the case.
