Scottish Tobacco Bill in Final Stages
The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (
The Bill contains legislation to ban the display of tobacco products, a measure that has been firmly opposed by retail organisations, as there remains no accurate estimate of the cost of compliance.
SGF Chief Executive John Drummond said: “A tobacco display ban would impose a substantial regulatory burden on retailers yet it is still unclear from both the Bill and the draft regulations how tobacco should be stored to comply with the display ban.
“The Minister has proposed regulations that are the most draconian of their type anywhere in the world, yet suggests to MSPs that a storage solution could cost as little as £20 for materials. SGF believe it is misleading for the Government to continue to refer to £20 when they accept that it referred only to the cost of materials per shelf and not per gantry. “The tobacco display ban is a policy gimmick that will impose costs and disruption on retailers at the worst possible time. The evidence that this will actually stop young people smoking just isn’t there.”
The Bill has also been amended to ban proxy sales, when an adult buys tobacco on behalf of a child. ACS will continue to campaign that a similar law is brought in in