A Parliamentary committee says the Government should prohibit cigarette and tobacco displays in cigarette shops. The Health Committee recommends after considering a petition signed by more than 20,000 people in support of the prohibition.

The National Party said there needed to be more evidence before implementing a prohibition. There was already a ban on advertising tobacco products but they could still be displayed in shops. In other countries where bans were introduced stores had not had to close, nor were jobs lost. The committee made the recommendation shop interiors – be made visible to the street to improve safety.

Thailand, Iceland and most of Canada banned displays. Iceland registered some decline in smoking but it could not be attributed solely to the ban. In New Zealand, smoking dropped by 23.4 percent in 2002-03 to 18.87 percent in 2006-07. The Health Ministry considered the cost of smoking to the economy at $1.7 billion as of 2005. Smoking caused illnesses cost the health system between $300 million and $350 million a year.

ASH director Ben Youdan said: “Tobacco should not be treated like other products. It kills half the people who use it, yet for too long we have allowed these addictive and deadly poisons to be sold next to the milk and chocolates. The ban is critical to tackling youth smoking. The average start age is around 14-15 years old. Young people are the new recruits the tobacco companies need to replace the 4700 Kiwis who die every year from smoking. We know this ban will be effective – that’s why industry has been so vocally opposed to the idea – the displays are one of the last bastions of cigarette marketing.”

During submissions scientists said the displays were de facto advertising which encouraged impulse buys and made it harder for people trying to give up the habit.