ASH Australia media release                                        May 24, 2006

Tobacco alliance wins backroom fight to keep cigarettes in faces of children

… and 17,000 children purchased their last cigarette from shops

“

A powerful alliance of tobacco sellers has become the tobacco industry's key partner - in promoting tobacco as a “normal” product and lobbying governments behind closed doors to reject plans to move tobacco displays out of sight in shops.

The alliance of retailers* this month told the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Smoking:

• they successfully lobbied Cabinet members to drop plans by NSW and SA ministers to protect children by requiring tobacco displays be stored out of sight in shops;

• only 2% of child smokers purchased cigarettes from shops; and

• tobacco displays, centre stage in shops, were not advertising and didn’t encourage people to smoke.

“These claims are disgraceful”, says Anne Jones, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Australia, “especially as 17,000 children in NSW alone have purchased their last cigarettes from a retailer – despite laws banning sales to children.

“Governments have caved into pressure from retailers and FOI documents confirm expert advice from health authorities was rejected despite:

• many thousands of young people being sucked into smoking every year, with most smokers starting as children with illegally supplied cigarettes;

• exposure to tobacco advertising in shops makes youth more likely to experiment; and

• most smokers report they know their brand and do not need displays to purchase.

“The retailers - who are also selling cigarettes with peel off health warnings - claim that because their products are ‘legal’ they shouldn’t have to end advertising displays. This argument is as defective as the cigarettes they’re selling - many legal products are sold out of sight, including 60% of products in pharmacies.

“If the NSW Premier, Mr Iemma, can ban spray paint cans displays in shops to protect property, why is NSW putting the commercial interests of tobacco drug pushers ahead of protecting the health of children and teenagers?” asks Anne Jones.

The NSW parliamentary committee is due to complete its report into smoking by the end of June.

*  See  written submissions to NSW parliament inquiry by tobacco retailer groups and ASH  
See  retailers testimony  - from p.32

Comment:          
Anne Jones, CEO ASH Australia    ph. (02) 9334-1876;   m. 0417-227-879

Media info:    
Stafford Sanders, ASH Australia     ph. (02) 9334-1823;   m. 0412-070-194

Page last updated 24/5/06