huge fines and prison time for growing Tobacco!

This is incredible! It's a $50,000 fine and two years in jail for growing your own tobacco for personal consumption in Australia! thats worse than what you get for growing a few Marijuana plants!

Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

EXCISE ACT 1901 - SECT 28
Only licensed producers to produce tobacco leaf etc.
(1) A person who does not hold a producer licence must not intentionally produce material that is tobacco seed, tobacco plant or tobacco leaf knowing, or being reckless as to whether, the material is tobacco seed, tobacco plant or tobacco leaf.

Penalty:

(a) for tobacco seed or tobacco plant--2 years imprisonment or 500 penalty units; and

(b) for tobacco leaf--2 years imprisonment or the greater of:

(i) 500 penalty units; and

(ii) 5 times the amount of duty, worked out under the regulations, being the duty that would be payable if the tobacco leaf had been manufactured into excisable goods and entered for home consumption on the penalty day.

Note: See section 4AA of the Crimes Act 1914 for the current value of a penalty unit.

(2) A person who does not hold a producer licence must not produce tobacco seed, tobacco plant or tobacco leaf.

Penalty: 100 penalty units.

(3) Strict liability applies to subsection (2).