ACS Makes Case for Real Action to Reduce Youth Smoking
James Lowman, ACS Chief Executive took part in a discussion about the tobacco display ban on the You & Yours programme on Radio 4 on Monday 6th April. The discussion also featured Professor Gerard Hastings, Director of the Institute of Social Marketing and Joe Torris a convenience retailer in the Republic of Ireland.
Joe Torris, who runs a shop in Drogheda, County Louth, explained that retailers in Ireland face a ban on tobacco displays starting on the 1st July. He criticised Government figures that underplay the cost of altering a shop to accommodate the ban, saying that they were “completely out” and that retailers could expect to pay €1200 minimum. He predicted that this was a cost the retailers in Ireland could not afford.
The show host pointed out that figures put forward by the Department of Health taken from Canada claimed a shop could be changed for a mere £550, however, James Lowman challenged the use of commercial Canadian shop fitting companies in reaching conclusions about the impact on English and Irish retail outlets.
James Lowman argued that a display ban was an ineffective way of reducing youth smoking and instead more attention should be placed on other areas. He said: “We need to tackle all routes by which young people get hold of tobacco. Very little is being done to prevent the 1 in 3 children that buy tobacco from the black market; nor is enough being done about proxy purchasing, it is not illegal for a person to stand outside a school and sell tobacco from a briefcase and it should be.“
Prof. Hastings set out his view that there is clear evidence that children are attracted by tobacco advertising and pointed to the fact that displays are strategically placed next to sweets as evidence that this is the case.
Lords will be debating the tobacco display ban and voting on whether to support the measure in late April.