Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / SCOTLAND
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
UK Contents:  England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | UK Politics | Education | Magazine

11:45 GMT, Sunday, 25 May 2008 12:45 UK

Cigarette ban proposals welcomed

Cigarettes on a shop shelf and a man standing in the background

Plans to ban the open display of cigarettes in Scottish shops have been welcomed by the UK health secretary.

Alan Johnson said it was important to stop children from taking up smoking.

But he told BBC One's Andrew Marr show that Scottish Government plans to ban 10-packs of cigarettes would "have to be looked at".

Ministers last week announced a raft of plans to restrict and enforce tobacco sale in the drive to cut smoking - one of Scotland's biggest killers.

Other proposed measures, some of which would need the co-operation of Westminster, included tobacco licensing and a move to plain packaging for cigarettes.

Mr Johnson said the UK Government was considering similar moves.

"Whether you should still be able to buy 10 cigarettes or whether you should insist that you can only buy 20, that's an issue we need to look at"
Alan Johnson
UK health secretary


He said: "Banning vending machines, where you can't have any control over the age of the person who's buying it, happened in many other European countries a long time ago, with startling results there."

The health secretary went on: "The ability to buy 10 cigarettes - I'm going to have to confess I started smoking very young when I was a kid, and you could get 10 woodbines, and you could get thrupenny singles.

Well they've taken thrupenny singles away. Whether you should still be able to buy 10 cigarettes or whether you should insist that you can only buy 20, that's an issue we need to look at."

It is two years since Scotland led the UK in banning smoking in enclosed public places, and six months since the legal age for buying cigarettes was raised to 18.

Mr Johnson's comments were welcomed by anti-smoking group Ash - but pro-smoking organisation Forest has dismissed the Scottish plans.

Smoking in Scotland is responsible for about 13,000 deaths and 33,500 hospital admissions each year at a cost of £200m to the health service.



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Tobacco display ban plan unveiled (21 May 08 |  Scotland )
Shop tobacco ban 'makes no sense' (21 May 08 |  Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West )
Legal smoking age to rise to 18 (13 Sep 07 |  Scotland )
Smokers in poorer areas targeted (05 May 08 |  Edinburgh, East and Fife )
Cigarette display ban considered (24 Mar 08 |  UK Politics )
Praise for smoke quitting mothers (25 Mar 08 |  Tayside and Central )
'Next big challenge' on smoking (26 Mar 08 |  Edinburgh, East and Fife )
Smoking ban law given green light (28 Apr 05 |  Scotland )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Scottish Government
Ash Scotland
Forest
Scottish Politics
BMA Scotland
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
UK Contents:  England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | UK Politics | Education | Magazine

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©