DundeeChest 3.0

Cigarettes on display in a Canadian duty free store

The Scottish Government voted 108 vs 15 to ban the open display of cigarettes in Scottish stores, the BBC News website reports

The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill will also ban cigarette vending machines and introduce a registration scheme for retailers.
BBC News Website

Large stores have until 2011, smaller stores until 2013, to remove all displays of cigarettes and vending machines.

Opposition leader John Drummond of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation is quoted as saying:

The evidence that this will actually stop young people smoking just isn’t there
John Drummond, Scottish Grocers’ Federation

Good grief, man. When did we start to need evidence about such obvious measures? Out of sight, out of mind, anyone? I think it’s a fantastic piece of legislation, but I hope just the start. In some parts of America, where smoking has been banned in public places for some time, smokers are looked on with disdain, and perhaps a bit of pity; in the UK we’re still making jokes about smokers standing out in the rain…

Dropping smoking rates might put me out of a job, but it’ll take 20 years, so my pension is safe. I jest – I would be overjoyed if every smoker in the country stopped today, and lung cancer all but disappeared from routine medical practice. I’m sure the cardiologists feel the same about ischaemic heart disease.

Scotland certainly leads the rest of the UK in this, I’m not sure about the rest of Europe…..