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   Shop tobacco displays 'encourage young people to smoke'
Young people feel more like smoking if they see cigarettes on sale in shops, research showed today, as the Government looks set to overturn a ban on displaying tobacco. Point-of-sale tobacco displays in shops are "cool, fun, and attractive" and are likely to encourage smoking, said children questioned in a study. It comes as the Government considers whether to reverse a ban on cigarette vending machines and on shops showing rows of cigarettes and tobacco. A law was passed by MPs in October when Labour was in power but the regulations needed to implement the changes have not come into force. The 2009 Health Act would ban cigarette vending machines and put tobacco out of sight in all shops by the end of 2013. Today, health campaigners called on the Government not to scrap the law, saying children's health must come before the needs of retailers. Newsagents have said the proposal could cost them £250 million to implement while Conservative MPs have questioned stopping shops displaying tobacco during a recession, when business is slower. Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco control, said: "We urge the Government to confirm their commitment to protect our children, now and in the future, from tobacco. "The influence of tobacco marketing must be removed from lives of young people. "The legislation is in place - all that remains is for it to be implemented. "Business profits are no reason to allow the easy access of vending machines and colourful wall displays of cigarettes to remain. The health of children must come first." Today's research, from the University of Stirling and published in the journal Health Promotion Practice, found children thought it was easy to buy tobacco and shopkeepers did not always ask for ID. Some 70 11 to 16-year-olds from Scotland were asked for their views on tobacco, with one 15-year-old smoker saying there were few checks. He said: "In most shops, especially corner shops, it is easy to get cigarettes. "I will be smoking less if they were really checking." Others said point-of-sale tobacco displays were "obvious" within shops because of the "massive display". The youngsters supported the ban on smoking in public places and frowned upon smoking indoors around children. Lead researcher, Dr Crawford Moodie, said: "The responses show clear support from young people for tobacco control measures and add weight to the need to remove the flashy shop displays of tobacco." The Department of Health said Business Secretary Vince Cable set out an action plan last month to reduce regulation for businesses. Consideration is being given to a wide range of regulations, including the sale of tobacco, it said. A spokeswoman added: "Discussions are taking place across Government to decide how best to tackle smoking in the context of our focus on public health, and our priorities given the challenges facing business competition and costs. "These considerations include the policy on display of tobacco products." Research out today from the NHS Information Centre shows a drop in the number of 11 to 15-year-olds smoking, drinking and taking drugs. A survey in England found the number who had tried smoking at least once was 29% - the lowest figure since the survey began in 1982 when it was 53%. The report said the drop was a continuation of the decline from 39% in 2006, when smokefree legislation was passed. Betty McBride, director of policy and communications at the British Heart Foundation, said: "While it is good news fewer of our children are turning to cigarettes and a lifetime of health problems, this report illustrates the importance of stopping youngsters smoking at an early age. "We're moving in the right direction. Putting into practice agreed further controls, such as the ban on cigarette vending machines and point-of-sale tobacco advertising, are vital." Parminder Singh, national president of The National Federation of Retail Newsagents, said last week: "There is absolutely no reason for the Government to press ahead with this ban which both the Conservatives and Lib Dems stood against when they were in opposition. "It is precisely the kind of measure that should be first in the de-regulation firing line - unwanted, unworkable, unnecessarily costly for struggling small businesses and proven not to achieve its objectives." Source: 24dash.com
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