A package of 20 cigarettes now costs AU$35 (US$25) and brand-name smokes are even more dear, at upwards of AU$40 per pack.annually from the levy. However, as taxes rise, so does the black market trade in tobacco. However,Some officials want Canberra to do more to encourage vaping, which many health experts believe is less harmful but which remains technically illegal in Australia. While vapes and e-cigarettes can be sold without nicotine, possession and use of nicotine for vaping is banned under nationwide poison regulations. Ireland, Norway, and the UK are next, though parts of the US - specifically New York and New Jersey - rival those nations.