Supermarket fags go under cover

Since October 1st 2011 it's been illegal to sell tobacco directly to the public from vending machines. It's also against the law to display advertisements or pictures of cigarettes on vending machines.

The only way a vending machine can stay in use is if it's in an area where only staff can access it, eg behind a bar, or if it's adapted to sell other non-tobacco products.

On 6th April this year additional restrictions on the display of tobacco and of prices kicked in, making it effectively illegal to display cigarettes.

Wiltshire Council licensing officers are responsible for enforcing the law. They'll give help and advice to any retailers or publicans needing it, but they also point out that anyone deliberately breaking the rules could get up to two years in gaol with a £5,000 fine.

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Here's a release from WC and NHS Wiltshire:

Supermarket retailers in Wiltshire have had to remove their tobacco displays.

The ban on displays of cigarettes came into force on 6 April 2012, and is a measure designed to protect young people who were often the target of tobacco promotion.

Smaller shops (under 250 square metres) do not have to change their displays until 2015.

People in England can still buy cigarettes in the normal way, but the ban - which was announced in 2008 - will mean cigarettes will have to be kept under the counter or under cover.

Darrell Gale, Consultant in Public Health at NHS Wiltshire said: ''Ending tobacco displays in shops will protect young people from the slick and shiny packaging which make cigarettes seem sophisticated and fashionable. Having the cigarettes undercover will help them to resist the temptation to start smoking.

"It will also help and support adults who are trying to quit by de-normalising tobacco. Smoking kills more than 650 people in Wiltshire every year."

Public health officials have argued that displaying cigarettes near to things like chocolate and crisps makes smoking seem like an everyday part of life.

Darrell went on to say "Half of all long-term smokers will die from a tobacco-related disease, and most become addicted as teenagers."

Countries including Canada, Iceland, Thailand and Norway have already banned visible tobacco displays.

"Retailers have nothing to fear," said Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash (Action on Smoking and Health). "The evidence from Ireland, when the legislation was implemented there, was that committed smokers still knew where to buy cigarettes and didn't need to see the displays to decide what they wanted to buy."