Government offers 100-day reminder for tobacco display abolition

The Department of Health has reminded UK retailers that all tobacco displays must be removed from their stores within 100 days.

Less than four months remain between today (December 28th 2011) and the April 6th 2012 deadline, after which point large shops will not be permitted to display tobacco products to the public, other than when serving customers or carrying out stock organisation.

The move has been welcomed by the likes of Cancer Research UK and Action on Smoking and Health, who support the view that this will make it less likely that young people will be tempted to take up smoking in the first place.

Chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said the fact that smoking kills more than 80,000 people each year makes this an essential move.

She observed: "We cannot ignore the fact that young people are recruited into smoking by tobacco promotion. Two-thirds of smokers say they were already regular smokers before they turned 18."

This follows the banning of cigarette vending machines across England in October this year.