I have been following the legislative debate over the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products (Dismantling Illegal Trade) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 (Qld) over the last two days in the Queensland Parliament. I was pleased to see that the bill passed with amendment on the 19 November 2025.
https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/103979
Queensland Health provides a summary of the bill: 'The Bill makes significant reforms to Queensland’s tobacco legislation, to disrupt the economic incentives associated with the commercial possession and supply of illicit tobacco and illicit nicotine products such as vapes.
The key reforms in the Bill include:
* expanding existing powers to allow the chief executive of Queensland Health to close down businesses operating illegally for 3 months (instead of the current 72 hour period), and for the courts to close businesses for up to 12 months;
* making it an offence to open a business subject to a closure order to the public, or supply any goods or services during a closure order (maximum penalty of $33,380 and on the spot fines of $3,338 for an individual and $16,690 for a corporation);
* giving landlords the power to terminate a commercial lease where a closure order has been issued against their premises;
* creating a criminal offence for landlords who knowingly permit their tenant to sell illicit tobacco or illicit nicotine products from their commercial premises and a civil penalty for landlords who have been recklessly indifferent or wilfully blind to the illegal activity of their tenant, without a reasonable excuse;
* empowering officers to confiscate legal smoking products, including cigarettes, hookahs, and hookah components to be seized alongside illicit tobacco and illicit nicotine products that are found and seized at a premises;
allowing controlled purchase operations where an appointed officer can act as a customer and attempt to buy illicit products in-person or from online stores, in order to detect and disrupt the sale of illicit products;
* making executive officers of corporations liable for certain offences committed by the corporation where they cannot otherwise demonstrate evidence of a defence; and
* inserting additional operational improvements, including strengthened enforcement powers and licensing requirements.
In addition to the above, amendments to the Bill were moved during parliamentary debate to also allow for nitrous oxide bulbs and cannisters (‘nangs’) to be seized as ‘compromised goods’ if found with illicit tobacco or illicit nicotine products. This urgent amendment addresses the public harms of recreational misuse of nangs, and their accessibility in illicitly-trading tobacconists and retail stores.' https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-Committees/Committees/Committee-Details?cid=0&id=4551
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-20/authorities-to-seize-nangs-illegal-tobacco-nicotine-laws/106026300
#tobacco #smoking #vaping #health #healthlaw #auslaw #qldpol
Matthew Rimmer
Vietnamnet BOT
