Australians are facing the prospect of having to visit sex shops to buy cigarettes, in a bid by lobbying groups who say ‘adult only’ premises should get a monopoly on selling tobacco products.
The Australian Sex Party, which has one member of parliament in Victoria, has made the claim with the Eros Association, which represents the interests of sex shops and adult venues, reports ABC.
The Eros Association is encouraging all of its members to get tobacco licences, and is campaigning for laws to force all tobacco retailers to sell the products in ‘adult only’ areas where minors cannot enter.
The practicalities of creating extra rooms with security checks on entering patrons will inevitably mean a number of shops will stop selling tobacco altogether – giving a clear competitive advantage to sex shops and adult theatres.
Australia Sex Party MP Fiona Patten, the former leader of Eros, said of the move: “It just makes common sense that adult material is sold to adults in adult areas.
“It doesn’t mean the traditional sex shop necessarily, but it does mean a tobacconist or it does mean age-restricting parts of your supermarkets, for example, where adult material is sold, like alcohol and tobacco”.
Speaking on the merits of the idea, another MP commented: “The harder we make it to get tobacco products, the better, as far as I’m concerned”.