# Smoking Declines But Illicit Tobacco Rises | Melbourne News

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/melbourne-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7572838/smoking-declines-but-illicit-tobacco-rises-melbourne-news
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/melbourne-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7572838/smoking-declines-but-illicit-tobacco-rises-melbourne-news.md
Podcast: [Melbourne News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now!](https://stenobird.com/podcast/melbourne-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7572838)
Published: 2026-07-16T15:25:25+00:00
Episode link: https://sources.thednn.ai/65aee030b7f334c5
Audio file: https://api.fastcast.ai/audio/f109fe51-6345-48b4-bfaf-cda546d31d50.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/melbourne-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7572838/episodes/smoking-declines-but-illicit-tobacco-rises-melbourne-news
Duration seconds: 90

## Resource

Australia’s daily smoking rate just hit a new low—down to 5.6%, beating government targets and with over two-thirds of adults never having smoked. But there’s a twist: illicit tobacco use has more than doubled to 34%, fueled by high legal taxes. Experts warn cutting taxes won’t fix it—stronger enforcement is key. Meanwhile, overall nicotine use, including vaping, is falling, though new illegal products like nicotine pouches are gaining ground with youth. The big win? Fewer smokers overall. The real challenge? Taming the black market. Listen in comfort: Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN: advertise@thednn.ai This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting. Report issues to feedback@thednn.ai. View sources & latest updates: https://sources.thednn.ai/65aee030b7f334c5

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/melbourne-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7572838/episodes/smoking-declines-but-illicit-tobacco-rises-melbourne-news/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/melbourne-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7572838/smoking-declines-but-illicit-tobacco-rises-melbourne-news.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.