There’s a website called Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues which is written by a few anti-smoking activist-academics. It provides lots of tobacco-related statistics and a bit of editorialising. The website has a whole section devoted to criticising “industry estimates of the extent of illicit trade in tobacco”. It is an article of faith in tobakko…
Waking up to the reality of tobacco’s black market
Waking up to the reality of tobacco’s black market
25 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of regulation, health economics, politics - Australia Tags: economics of smoking
The black market crisis in tobacco
16 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, economics of regulation, health economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: economics of smoking
A comprehensive article in the SST about the rise in black market tobacco sales in NZ. Some extracts: This is again a reminder that prohibition doesn’t work, and neither does trying to tax something so much to prohibit it.
The black market crisis in tobacco
Irony: quitters are making tobacco companies rich
01 Nov 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, entrepreneurship, industrial organisation, managerial economics Tags: economics of smoking
ANALYSIS from the Economist: When lots of people smoked, there were many “price-elastic” consumers. In plain English, they were sensitive to increases in the cost of a cigarette. As more people have quit, however, only the most committed smokers are still puffing. Companies have responded by raising prices at an ever-quicker pace. MY COMMENT: In…
Irony: quitters are making tobacco companies rich
No smoking
02 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of information, economics of regulation, health economics, industrial organisation Tags: economics of smoking
Smoking
27 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in economic history, health economics Tags: economics of smoking
Another gender gap
28 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in development economics, health economics Tags: economics of smoking, gender gap
Another big tobacco black market bust
05 Jan 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of regulation, health economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: black markets, economics of smoking
NewstalkZB reports: Police have restrained more than $2.5 million in assets, including four properties in Gisborne, after a discovery of undeclared tobacco was intercepted at the border. It comes after Customs intercepted 110kg of loose tobacco and more than 230,000 cigarettes – approximately 10,000 packets – concealed in Chinese tea packets in November last year, bound for residential and […]
Another big tobacco black market bust
Nanny state
16 May 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics, public economics Tags: economics of smoking
Good old days
12 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in health economics, liberalism Tags: economics of smoking
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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