Protect our future - ban tobacco displays

MEDIA RELEASE
13 January 2010

Protect our future

The Cancer Society was pleased to hear Associate Minister of Health, the Hon Tariana Turia say that the government is very determined to reduce the rate of smoking in New Zealand. “We believe that if the government is serious they should approve the necessary legislation to ban tobacco displays very soon, before thousands of our youth, who are the future of this country, become hooked on smoking, many of them for the rest of their life,” said the society’s Tobacco Control Advisor, Navid Foroutan.

Although the number of young people trying smoking has reduced in recent years, still a significant proportion of our teenagers smoke. “Tobacco companies know the importance of the youth market and see today’s teens as their potential future costumers and that is why they keep marketing their deadly products to our young.” One of the last marketing tools in the hands of the tobacco companies, and one of the most effective, is tobacco displays, which are present in thousands of tobacco retailers across the country, including dairies, supermarkets and bookshops.

New Zealand and international evidence shows that tobacco displays play a very important role in attracting teenagers to smoking. “More and more countries are moving towards banning tobacco displays.

In fact, New Zealand research results have been used by policy makers from other countries (including the UK) to approve legislation to ban tobacco displays but unfortunately such legislation has been delayed in our country.” New Zealand should not delay protecting its future citizens.

ENDS

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