Smoking is a major cause of preventable death and a leading cause of avoidable chronic illness and hospitalisation from conditions including cancer and cardiovascular disease. There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke including second-hand smoke.
E-cigarettes can contain up to 200 toxic chemicals, including those present in paint stripper and weed killer. These substances can cause cancer and impair brain function.
Data from the City of Melbourne Social Indicator Survey (CoMSIS) reveals that the percentage of residents in the City of Melbourne who are current smokers has increased from 12.5 per cent to 14.6 per cent between 2020 and 2022. The survey also captured vaping data for the first time in 2022, and found that the percentage of residents who currently vape is 12.5 per cent.
Smoking and vaping statuses in the City of Melbourne
Daily smoker
| | 5.4%
| Decrease
|
Occasional smoker
| 4.6% | 9.0%
| Increase
|
Current smoker (daily + occasional)
| | 14.6%
| Increase
|
Ex-smoker
|
|
20.9%
|
Decrease
|
Non-smoker (includes ex-smokers)
|
|
84.2%
|
Stable
|
Daily vaper
| 4.0%
|
Occasional vaper | 8.4%
|
Current vaper (daily + occasional)
| 12.4%
|
Ex-vaper
| 5.8%
|
Non-vaper (includes ex-vapers)
| 86.7%
|
Smoke-free Melbourne Policy
In July 2021, the City of Melbourne Future Melbourne Committee endorsed the Smoke-free Melbourne Policy.
Melbourne is now the first city in Australia to have a comprehensive framework to protect the community from the harms of smoking and vaping.
The aim of this policy is to outline our vision to reduce the harmful effects of smoking and vaping in our community and how this will be achieved. This policy will guide the creation of more smoke-free and vape-free areas in the central City of Melbourne, ways to reduce and de-normalise smoking and vaping as well as supporting people to quit.