Display of Cigarettes Ban- The Debate

 In January this year MSPs passed new laws which will end the open display of tobacco in shops across Scotland. Unsurprisingly, it’s news that has angered the tobacco industry, with one company branding the moves as “drastic”.

The new Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill will also ban cigarette vending machines, in addition to introducing a registration scheme for retailers. But will these moves make a real impact on teenage smokers or are they simply a puff of smoke in a cloud of deeper social smoking problems?

The hope is that these measures will make cigarettes less accessible and attractive to young people, in the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ vein of thought. Large retailers must implement the ban by 2011, with their smaller counterparts having until 2013 to do the same.

However, shopkeepers have complained that these measures are both unjustified and costly to put into practice, with a Scottish Grocer’s Federation spokesperson protesting that there is both little evidence to prove such changes will effect young people’s smoking habits and that it is still unclear how tobacco would have to be stored to comply with the display ban.

It’s a complaint the Tobacco Manufacturers Association also share, with chief executive Christopher Odgen saying that there was “no credible evidence” to show the legislation would tackle the issue. “The last thing we need in the midst of challenging economic times is further regulation that will facilitate illicit trade in tobacco products and impact adversely on thousands of small retailers and the communities they serve”.

Tobacco giant Imperial Tobacco is attempting to stop the ban on vending machines selling cigarettes, in addition to the display measures, declaring to a court that the measures were reserved to the Westminster Parliament and outside of Holyrood’s legislative competency. The company called the changes “a drastic outright ban”.

There are also fears that the banning of tobacco displays might have an adverse effect on the declining numbers of independent newsagents and corner shops, in addition to increasing the attraction of cigarettes by making them even more rebellious.

However, with the bill passed by 108 votes to 15, it is clear there’s a great deal of political pressure behind the campaign.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: “We’ve already made great strides, notably by banning smoking in public places and raising the age for buying cigarettes to 18.

“This Bill goes further by introducing measures designed to stop children from starting to smoke in the first place.”

It’s not only major political players who are welcoming the changes, as charities and anti smoking bodies are also positive about the changes such laws will help induce. Anti-smoking body Ash Scotland backed the government’s position that the move would reduce the 15,000 youngsters in Scotland who started smoking every year.

“This legislation means Scotland remains a world leader in tobacco control,” said the organisation’s Sheila Duffy.

Indeed, MPs in Westminster also supported backbench amendments to outlaw cigarette vending machines in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as part of the UK government’s Health Bill.

Smoking in Scotland is responsible for 13,500 deaths each year and many more hospital admissions, and is one of the biggest contributory factors to Scotland’s poor health record, and in 2004 equated to 24% of all deaths in Scotland.

Smoking is also highly correlated with deprivation, and smoking prevalence in deprived areas is consistently higher than the Scottish average. 

While these measures are tough, they have come at a time when austerity is the word de jour on everyone’s lips- with cuts and higher taxes, anything which seeks to counter a problem costing the Scottish economy £837 million a year and the NHS an annual £420 million should be welcomed.