#Human Rights
Target:
Australian Government
Region:
Australia

I am a smoker. I am 36 years old and have been smoking since I was 11 years old. I do not condone smoking and would not wish the nicotine addiction on my worst enemy. However I am a low income earner and I also suffer from a severe mental illness. The illness in itself means I smoke more than most others and find it harder actually impossible to quit. I have tried every NRT on the market but cannot try Champix due my mental illness. I have not quit. The laws in Australia have dramatically increased the cost of tobacco products which means there are times I choose between food or cigarettes due my low income. Also, the laws in Australia have banned smoking in outdoor cafes etc....as a member of the community whether I smoke or not this has also greatly disadvantaged me. I am a lonely person with few friends and people to connect with. I for many years survived by going out and joining the community by sitting at cafes drinking coffee, having a cigarette and reading my book in public. The past time made me feel human and part of life as it is. Since the laws have come in I have been getting increasingly iscolated to the point I have nearly had to admit myself back into hospital. These laws need to be relaxed and changed. Tobacco is of course a legal product after all.

We, the undersigned call for the Australian Government to relax the outdoor smoking laws and either reduce or eliminate tobacco tax or provide tobacco products to comsumers on medical script and include tobacco products on the PBS at the same time.

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The Tobacco Products on script Australia/Relax Outdoor smoking laws petition to Australian Government was written by Shannon Patterson and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.