The government has announced that shops in England and Wales will be banned from displaying cigarette and tobacco products. There were also plans to ban cigarette vending machines and tobacco branding on packets, but this idea has been scrapped.
MP’s hope that the ban will reduce smoking, and is being considered in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Anti-smoking lobbyists are not impressed with the latest plan, and have criticised the move as not going far enough to stop younger people smoking.
In recent figures released on smoking behaviour, it was found that people who started smoking between the ages of 11 and 15 were three times more likely to die younger than someone who started when they were 20 years old. Younger smokers are also more likely to be hooked for life, the report said.
The Tobacco Manufacturers Association has opposed the ban saying that it could have hidden consequences such as raising the sales of illicit tobacco, and damaging the income of small shops that rely on tobacco sales.
The government stated that the first tobacco displays to be taken down will be in the large supermarkets, and if there were signs of an improvement in younger smokers it will remove all tobacco displays.
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