According to the Medical Journal of Australia released on Monday, retailers in Australia will be checking for a license every time a cigarette pack is sold.

This is in addition to the $5/pack tax levied by a new law by Prime Minister Kevin Rud. The Australian government is targeting a reduction of smokers from 16% to 10% by 2016.

Studies on cancer research suggest that even passive smoking is as dangerous as living near highly polluted zones. Experts such as the University of Sydney’s Law School Professor Roger Magnusson of and Cancer Institute NSW’s Professor David Currow are looking into a smart-card licence approach to ward off smoking among teenagers.

Store owners will confirm if the cigarette buyers are adults and check the licence to verify the age of the buyer.

According to the 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, teenagers tend to purchase their cigarettes from online stores or retailers. The study found, "Even if a smoker's licence results in some increase in secondary purchasing by adults for children, the overall reduction in access by minors would be substantial and could eclipse any other single tobacco control measure currently under consideration", reports the Herald Sun.

Both Magnusson and Currow are eager to use the smart card licenses to gain more data on smokers in order to assist them in quitting smoking.

"It will enable rigorous evaluation of smoking cessation programs, ensuring that public health dollars are focused on evidence-based strategies that yield the best returns," reports the Herald Sun.

Not everyone welcomes the move to protect the health of young smokers. The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (ACCS) says the law is "just another bureaucratic nightmare that will just not work."
p
"Either ban the products outright, which would just increase the illegal tobacco, or let people make their own free choices," Jeff Rogut, Executive Director of the AACS said.

The smart-card would also affect the tobacco industry since it would give authorities a way of gauging use of tobacco use in response to retail discounts, for instance.

In addition, the smart cards would carry stigma’s like “registered addicts” on their licenses. Advocates of the license also say that it protects the rights of smokers because ”it does not impose a smoke-free lifestyle on adults who cannot, or who choose not to, give up".