THE suggestion that shops might be forced to hide cigarettes under the counter is fuelled by political considerations rather than concern for public health.
Governments were once fearful of attacking a habit enjoyed by millions but in these health-conscious times Ministers have noticed that the public mood has changed.
The irony is that it was MPs who voted for the most significant restriction on toba
cco – a complete smoking ban in public places – when the Government had proposed a less ambitious plan. Nevertheless, Ministers have clearly come to believe there are votes to be earned by targeting smokers in any way they can.
Public opinion has moved because the dangers to health posed by smoking are now so well-documented that only a fringe minority dispute them. The public smoking ban has been generally accepted, even by many smokers, because it helps to protect people from the risks associated with passive smoking. Raising the age people can buy tobacco to 18 was considered a helpful way to cut under-age smoking. Health warnings on tobacco products give the consumer information about the risks they are taking.
New restrictions on the way tobacco products are displayed might allow Ministers to claim that they are going even further to promote
healthy living but would serve no useful purpose. They would merely introduce a mild inconvenience for adults who, despite the many warnings, choose to smoke and the shopkeepers who legitimately sell them.
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo argues children need to know smoking is bad but large sums are already spent on anti-smoking campaigns and shopkeepers can be prosecuted for selling tobacco to under-18s.
Smoking remains a legal activity that earns large sums of money for the Exchequer. On that basis, there seems little justification in giving the act of purchasing tobacco an air of impropriety.
