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Small shops prepare to stub out tobacco stands

Small shops prepare to     stub out tobacco stands

Small shops in Scotland have one year to go before they have to take cigarettes off public display.

The tobacco display ban, which is already in place for large stores, comes into full effect in 12 months.

A ban on smoking throughout all hospital grounds also comes into force a year from now.

Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said the policies are “important parts” of work to “create a tobacco-free generation by 2034”. He also said the government remains committed to introducing plain packaging for cigarettes and all tobacco products.

Earlier this week, UK ministers said they were “minded” to introduce the measure. The Department of Health is to launch a consultation on whether tobacco should be sold in standardised packaging after a review concluded that the change could contribute to a “modest but important reduction” in smoking rates.

The Scottish Government has already announced it favours plain packaging, and Mr Matheson said ministers “remain committed” to this. He said the measure would “reduce the attraction of brightly-coloured packaging in all environments”, and added: “Following this week’s announcement that the UK Government is now in favour, we will be working closely with them and colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland to make sure it is introduced as soon as possible.”

While larger stores were barred from having cigarettes and tobacco on display last year, Mr Matheson said it is now time for smaller stores to consider how they will sell these items when the ban is extended in 12 months.

He said: “The display ban in shops is something that has been running successfully in larger shops since last year. The measure was introduced to reduce young people’s exposure to promotion of tobacco products by covering up walls of cigarette packs.

“We wanted to give smaller retailers more time to make the necessary preparations, hence the longer deadline. However, with just one year to go, it’s important that shopkeepers start to think about how they will display tobacco after April 6, 2015. I’d encourage them to familiarise themselves with the guidance available online.”

Of the hospital smoking ban, he added: “It cannot be right that in hospitals – places where people come to recover from illness and injury – patients and relatives have to walk through a fug of smoke as they enter buildings.”