N.B. to ban tobacco displays
Published Wednesday December 31st, 2008
Health minister says move will cut down on smoking rates, health costs
It may be hard to notice much difference between 2008 and 2009 tomorrow, until you step into a convenience store in New Brunswick.
Although the familiar splatter of standards like batteries, magazines and beef jerky will still adorn corner stores and gas stations, large-scale tobacco displays will not.
Indeed, as of tomorrow, cigarettes and other tobacco products will no longer be displayed on so-called power boards behind shop counters.
The products, which studies have suggested attract the attention of consumers in general and young people in particular, will have to be kept in a drawer, under the counter or in another part of the store that can't be seen by customers.
Advertisements for tobacco products sold in the store will be limited to black ink on white paper that is no larger than 10 centimetres by 10 centimetres.
Health Minister Mike Murphy says the new rules, which are similar to current regulations in place in Saskatchewan, are the next crucial step in the fight to keep cigarettes out of the minds and mouths of young New Brunswickers.
"This is just another brick in the wall we are trying to build against smoking. It's not the be all and end all but it's another brick in the wall," said Murphy.
"Behind the counter you see these incredibly colourful boards with all the cigarettes that fall out of the displays so easily, you can pick and choose. That's out of there."
Murphy said the changes will help cut down on the number of people who light up, and eventually ease the strain placed on the health-care system by cancer and other smoking related diseases.
"Young people are understandably attracted to the colours of power boards, they are attracted to some of the displays of fit young people with a big cigarette in their mouths. That is simply nonsensical but it is there."
Murphy isn't concerned that the new legislation, which follows other legislation that has banned smoking in public places and outside of public buildings, will infringe on the rights of smokers.
"I don't think the minority is losing rights, I think the majority is exercising their rights, but smokers are certainly losing more and more space," said Murphy.
Retailers who violate the new ban will be fined between $240 and $2,620 for a first offence. Further offences can result in a fine up to $5,120 and up to 30 days in jail.
The legislation will also create a new kind of business called a tobacconist shop.
These specialty shops will be allowed to display tobacco products and advertise inside and outside, but no one under the age of 19 will be allowed to enter the stores unless accompanied by an adult.
Nova Scotia and P.E.I. have similar legislation in place.
The Smoke-Free Places Act, which bans smoking in enclosed public places as well as workplaces, came into effect in 2004 in N.B.
Murphy plans to introduce more anti-smoking measures in 2009.
He intends to introduce legislation that will make it illegal to smoke in a car in which children are present, and he said he is prepared to legislate against brightly coloured and flavoured cigarillos.
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A self esteem program for teenagers would probably be much more effective in curbing youth smoking.
I guess doing something like this keeps Murphy's face in the news & gives the appearance that he is doing something to earn his title.............
We have those things here in Montreal,it's a gray sort of a wall unit shelve with many doors and it seems like pain in the rear to restock and takes alot longer for the employee to find what their looking for,especially if the employee doesn't smoke.With the color display at least we can pin point the employee to the kind we want,but with these shelves we can't see the packages at all and some employees just can't find it.A real pain in the sunshine.
From my experience with District 2, bullying is the biggest problem (another form of peer pressure), however this comes from the top down, and children reflect what they see the so called adults doing as well (similar to the smoking issue). Children need good role models, which includes their own parents. However it would seem to me that teachers are under the belief that children at the teenage years do not want to spend time with their parents....
http://www.smokershistory.com/hpvlungc.htm
The anti-smokers have committed the same type of fraud with every disease they blame on smoking and passive smoking, as well as ignoring other types of evidence that proves they are lying, such as the fact that the death rates from asthma have more than doubled since their movement began.
http://www.smokershistory.com/newviews.htm
You are free to smoke wherever you want as long as your tobacco molecules don't get close enough to me to stick to my hair and clothes. Cigarette smoke stinks!