Cigarette vending machine ban slammed

Moves to ban cigarette vending machines in Scotland have been branded "disappointing" by a leading trade group.

The plan was outlined by public health minister Shona Robison as part of a series of measures designed to tackle smoking.

Patrick Browne, chief executive of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA), said: "We will obviously consider the detail of the Health Bill before making detailed comments, but vending machines provide pub customers with an opportunity to make distress purchases whilst they are visiting their local pub.

"If they lose the opportunity to do that then there is a risk that they won't simply stop buying cigarettes in the pub, but that they will leave the pub altogether."

He added: "The reality is that if this measure is passed, pubs will simply stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products because of the practicalities and costs of creating storage areas in existing bars and the stock control and security issues around this."

Other measures outlined in the Health Bill include

• Banning tobacco displays in shops

• Introducing a registration scheme for retailers

• Giving trading standards officers powers to issue fixed penalty notices for retailers who sell cigarettes to under 18s

• Banning orders to prevent retailers selling cigarettes if they continually break the law

Robison said: "The health risks associated with smoking are both enormous and well documented. But stopping smoking is hard and the vast majority of smokers I've spoken to wish that they'd never started.

"So that's why the measures in this bill are aimed at stopping children starting to smoke in the first place - by making it less accessible and less attractive to them."