Cigarettes for 50 cents: Stores are caught illegally selling smokes for dirt cheap prices
- Shops are illegally selling single cigarettes from a secret drawer behind counter
- Scheme believed to target children who can’t afford an entire pack of 20
- It was outlawed 30 years ago specifically to protect children from smoking
Shops are illegally selling single cigarettes for as little as 50c in a scheme believed to be aimed at underage teenagers.
When asked if they sell ‘loosies’, cashiers open a secret stash of smokes in a draw behind the counter and hand them over to customers.
The cigarettes are then sold for less than the lollies and chocolates sitting on the counter nearby.
Shops are illegally selling single cigarettes for as little as 50c in a scheme believed to be aimed at underage teenagers (stock image)
Health advocates believe the practice is aimed at children who can’t afford more than $20 for a pack but can use their meager cash to buy one or two at a time.
Cigarettes can only legally be sold in packs of at least 20 and shops can be fined up to $19,028 for selling ‘loosies’.
The ban was brought in as part of the Tobacco Act of 1987 specifically to protect children, who are particularly prone to nicotine addiction.
The Geelong Advertiser visited 10 convenience stores and milk bars undercover and found two in Norlane that sold single cigarettes.
When asked if they sell ‘loosies’, cashiers open a secret stash of smokes in a draw behind the counter and hand them over to customers (stock image)
One sold them for 50c each and their other for $1.50, and the customer merely had to ask before the cashier opened the secret drawer.
Norlane and neighbouring Corio have the highest smoking rate in Victoria with 30 per cent of the population describing themselves as ‘current smokers’.
The local council is responsible for cracking down on illegal sales but would not reveal how many fines it had dished out.