With rates of tobacco use persisting and guidelines recommending combination approaches, pharmacists play an increasingly important role in supporting patients to address tobacco use.
The current smoking landscape
Tobacco use persists as a significant public health issue and is the second leading risk factor for disease burden in Australia.1
In the 2022–2023 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 35% of Australians aged 14 years and over reported ever smoking tobacco. In 2022-2023, 8.3% of people smoked daily, equating to approximately 1.8 million people in Australia. Rates of daily smoking are higher in certain population groups including males (9.0% vs. 7.7% females) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people (20%).2
However, following the 2024 legislation changes for vaping, the number of people vaping decreased from 8.3% in January 2024 to 7.5% in May 2025. Over the same period, the number of smokers increased from 8.0% to 8.3% which may suggest people are switching to smoking tobacco.3
The current guidance for combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
Regulatory changes in 2023 introduced new measures to discourage smoking and the use of tobacco products.4 Pharmacists play an important role in providing advice to support those who smoke to quit, with strong evidence that any advice is effective in encouraging smoking cessation.5
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