Tobacco Products For Sale Would Be Banned

A planned crackdown on tobacco displays and instant fines for shopkeepers caught selling to minors has local retailers preparing to hide away Hilton cigarettes.

Legislation tightening tobacco controls could be introduced to Parliament before Christmas.

Once passed, any visible display of tobacco products for sale would be banned and anti-smoking officers would have the power to instantly fine shopkeepers caught selling to under-18s.

Anticipating a law change, Tay Street Dairy owner Peter Grindrod had drawers built under his counter for tobacco products. "I'm ahead of the eight-ball, so I'm not worried whether displays get banned or not," he said. "It will be a good thing."

Phil Boyte, of Fourteenth Avenue Dairy, had cigarettes in a hidden, overhead rack when he began trading 20 years ago, "and I'd be quite happy to go back to that".

"When people come into my shop to buy cigarettes, they know what they want, so I don't think hiding them will change anything."

But doing away with tobacco sales was not an option.

"It'd send me broke."

Nor was it an option for Jensen Zeng, owner of Devonport Rd store AJ's Lotto and Tobacconist.

"It's hard to say whether [the legislation] is a good or bad idea.

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If the Government is going to ban it, then we have to let them. We can't do anything."

Tauranga City Lotto owner Balbir Singh was happy to hide his tobacco displays if it saved lives.

"If it can save 5000 lives a year, like they said on the news, then I've got no worries with it."

Cancer Society health promotion manager Jan Pearson said retailers' tobacco displays, or "power walls", were used by the tobacco industry to attract new smokers, and taking them away would improve public health.

"We've called for the displays to go for several years ... this will have a great impact on reducing the number of smokers," Dr Pearson said.

The Association of Community Retailers lobby group said shopkeepers' safety and livelihoods would be imperilled by the changes.

The Association of Convenience Stores said it could cost retailers up to $50 million to rearrange their shops.

"New Zealand retailers now face greater threats of abuse, robbery and aggravated assault, as they are forced to hunt for tobacco that makes up to 40 per cent of their sales," chairman Roger Bull said. British American Tobacco New Zealand welcomed the Government's announcement to let smoke-free enforcement officers issue instant fines.

"Instant fines for retailers caught selling tobacco products to people under age 18 may force retailers to be much more vigilant," said Susan Jones, head of corporate and regulatory affairs.

But there was no compelling international evidence a ban on the retail display of tobacco products would have any impact on smoking rates, Ms Jones said.