‘Tobacco display ban will close shops’
Thursday 12th March 2009, 1:00PM GMT.
PAPER BOX proprietor Phillip Morgan has launched a campaign against proposals for a ban on displays of tobacco.
Following the release of a consultation paper on No Smoking Day yesterday, Mr Morgan has started a local Save Our Shop campaign, joining one being run by the Tobacco Retailers Alliance in the UK. He said he was fighting for his livelihood.
‘It is a life and death matter for small retailers. How does the States think we can afford the money it will cost to fit a new display, let alone all the other actions proposed in the strategy?
‘I shall write to all interested parties and I will be talking to the Channel Island Tobacco Importers and Manufacturers Association to see if it can help.
‘This campaign will ensure that Guernsey residents and politicians fully understand the implications of the strategy,’ he said.
‘We’ve already got the support of several retailers and I’m sure this will spur them into action.
‘We still need a full consultation on every aspect of the strategy, not just on displays.’
- To read Guernsey Press stories in full click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.
Island Life
All about Guernsey
Ambassador of the Year 2011
History & Heritage
Visitor Information
Guernsey's government
Campaigns
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
This is Guernsey
Guernsey Press
Useful Links
I am a non smoker myself and I am torn between advertising tobacco and banning it?
I feel sorry for the smaller retailers who will be hit by this. We need shops like this and if they have to close and make people redundant then that is another burden on the States and more umemployment. They don’t want that do they?
No I think that advertising should stay, people should be allowed to chose. We don’t want to be over run by another Big Brother tactic – we have enough already.
By the way the proprietor in question has fantastic customer skills and is always pleasant!
Report abuse
I agree with Teresa. I think the tobacco displays behind the counter are fine. And if they must be ‘hidden’ then how are they going to do this? Under the counter? In a back room? In both instances Shop keeper will tske his eyes off the shop and shoplifting could occur. Also to get a new display will cost money, will the states pay for this? No, I doubt it.
Report abuse
it would be even better if it resulted in closing down the manufacturers as well.
We must try every means to cut down smoking.
I would like to see a packet of Cigarettes priced at minimum £10 a packet throughout Europe with all extra cash supporting the Health Service & hospitals. Support this proposal – 100%
Report abuse
Agree 100% Pablo
I would like to see extra tax on cigarettes to fill the black hole.
Report abuse
I am currently giving up smoking and have had a few slip ups, and I would say that it is partly to do with the fact that I can see them behind the counter when I go to pay for my goods (yes I no that’s called not having enough will power) but I really do think that if they were hidden under the counter maybe then I wouldn’t have ‘slipped up’.
Report abuse
Wil if you would like to see extra tax on cigarettes, that is fine, I would like to see tax on chocolates etc since obesity may over take smoking!
Report abuse
We have a ban on Tobacco displays here, it came into force in May of last year…
There was no change in amount of sales as the products are still there, just covered up…..
Report abuse
‘Anon’, please take the following seriously. I’ll show you how to lessen and finally quit smoking without stress, without pain, and with no cost as I have all but done. I only wish I could help Mark Cresswell too.
To clarify, I’m a Guernseyman living in a large country. Here, tobacco products have been hidden from sight for many years and I can tell you that it does not work. Indeed, shop keeper Phillip Morgan need not worry. His business is very safe (for the time being). But if, as I suspect, he is a man of character he will do everyone a good deed and voluntarily ban all tobacco products from his shop, instead filling his shelves with healthy products from which he can make his living because selling products that cause his fellow human beings so much pain and suffering is not commendable.
The truth is, ‘hiding tobacco products’ is smoke and mirrors put out ‘legally’ by governing bodies to placate the populace but the reality is, governments want the taxes that smokers give them and smokers while still addicted want and need their nicotine which they will get no matter what. It’s as simple as that.
To facilitate the latter, and infuriatingly debased as it is, major tobacco companies have for many years – and with impunity – secretly increased the nicotine content in cigarettes by a large amount making it increasingly difficult and in many cases almost impossible for smokers to quit. To put it bluntly, it’s a dirty world out there.
Meanwhile, go to http://www.mass.gov/dph/mtcp/wn mtcp.htm
to get the details of how major tobacco companies have secretly increased the nicotine content in their cigarettes. Click on REPORTS/FACT SHEETS then click on NICOTINE then FACT SHEETS then CHANGE IN NICOTINE YIELDS.
And on this Guernsey Press website please go to this ‘Comment’ section calendar and click on March 11th ‘Comments’ where Mark Cresswell’s photograph is portrayed. There you will find my earlier ‘Expat80′ email giving full detail of how I lessened my smoking from a pack and a half a day for 55 years to my current six and one half cigarettes per day, this without stress, without pain, and without cost. And soon, over the next month or two, I will quit totally.
I know you want to quit too, I know you can, I know you’ll make it work.
Report abuse
Smokers are already paying their way with tax. The additional revenue should be raised in other areas such as paid parking (£200 a year doesn’t seem unreasonable, a mere £4 a week) and alcohol (particularly as that seems to be the cause of half of Guernsey’s crime).
Report abuse
More to the point its a life and death matter for smokers.
Report abuse
For god’s sake! Do local shops really rely entirely on tobcaco sales? If this is true then why bother selling anything else.
This looks like scaremongering to me. And by the way, the Save Our Shops campaign is run by the tobacco industry. Why? Because THEY will lose money. Adults will still go to the shop and buy their fags.
And even if they stopped buying them, everyone knows that when people quit smoking they start eating loads of sweets. Where do the sweets come from? Local shops!
Report abuse
Display bans are not about selling less cigarettes, at least not right away. Display bans are about ‘denormalizing’ tobacco industry products to children, a demographic vitally important to tobacco companies continued existence. When cigarettes are placed near other impulse buys at convenience stores and a massive power wall display is right behind the clerk, this sends a message that cigarettes are ok, or are not more harmful than a chocolate bar or something like that. It sounds silly, but honestly, if anyone made a truly informed decision about *starting* to smoke, NOT continuing to smoke, then I honstly don’t think anyone would start.
And the argument about cost does not really fly. Here in Ontario, Canada, many stores had the new display cases provided to them by the tobacco industry. And besides, this can be done pretty low-tech if you desire. I doubt this display ban requires stainless steel shelves with carbon fiber doors or something. Again, in Ontario, we have a display ban like the one proposed an one shop I’ve been to just took some panels of cardboard and taped them to the shelves. Done. It might look a tad ungainly, but it probably cost all of twenty dollars for tape and cardboard. And any stores here didn’t close because of the display ban. Contraband tobacco, oh yeah, that’s killed a lot of stores, but that is an issue for another message board. And stores that mostly sell cigars or othe tobacco products could apply to become a tobacconist if 50% or more of their sales came from tobacco products, which exempts them from the display ban for everything but cigarettes.
Display bans don’t close stores and they don’t have to cost a lot. Thanks everybody. Sorry for the long post.
Report abuse
Wow, please excuse all the typos!
Report abuse
There’s no evidence this mangling in a consumer product by extremist minority groups does anything but add cost to retailers. Ask the Canadians where the tobacco display ban is still being operated.
It adds cost to no benefit. Another useless interference in liberty and business by the nanny culture Guernsey swallows whole from the insidious UK and EU pressure groups
Report abuse
DEFO BAN ALL FAG SALES….people need food to survive NOT fags, so shops will still exist. AS if anyone can support selling something that is designed purely to kill. A cigarette serves no other purpose. It certainly dose not supply anything positive to the body ( i am sure smokers out there will say it makes them feel good, it calms them down….) yes but only because it has messes up the receptors in your brain to think and act like that.
Or HIKE UP PRICES massively….money could go straight into the Health Service and maybe help cut bills. People in Guernsey do let themselves experience poor health because of the costs involved. That and any crap employers who limit paid sick leave and those are ones in the finance industry…….that we are trying so hard to keep in the island.
Oh my GOD
Report abuse
The truth is the tobacco display gantries are provided by the tobacco firms, who are also behind this campaign. And I bet the tobacco firms will provide whatever new means is required to make sure they can go on selling their product, at no cost to the shopkeeper. It’s not in their interest to do anything else, unless of course they can stop the law in the first place.
Report abuse
Where is this all going to stop? After we have stopped people smoking lets now stop people drinking as that is quite bad for you, then stop people gambling because that causes a lot of damage, Now what about all the pollution that cars cause! This causes problems for others not just the person driving lets ban all cars. Now if there is anyone still overweight because there is no cars let’s put a ban on them shopping for chocolate & crisps etc. We all know that some things we do are not good for you but if we allow all this dictatorship to carry on where will it end? Let’s ban all hazardous sports because they could end up in hospital and be a drain on the health service and claim sickness benefit. Time to let people do what they are going to do, yes by all means give them all the information but if they still wish to smoke then let it be.
Report abuse
After the government has won the war on smoking, it will turn to alcohol, gambling, transport, fatty foods and screw all those over as well.
Thanks a lot :(
Report abuse
Out of sight, out of mind. I think this is a great idea. And yes, this is nannyish Mr Donkey, but it has to be. The reason we have elected officials and government is because some people cannot be trusted to make decisions in their best interest.
Report abuse
Student Bob, If people cannot be trusted to make decisions in their best interests, Then this must also include voting in our leaders, Lets go all the way and make it a dictatorship as we can’t be trusted to do what is right for our own good.
Report abuse
Dictatorship? Great idea Tom, I got a dissertation to write at the mo’, but I’ll have 4 months free over the summer… I’ll be needing some military fatigues and Alberto Korda.
Report abuse
Tom
So you prefer the power of ruthless tobacco corps over elected representatives?
This is the world we live in.
Report abuse
Im a shop proprietor myself in guernsey and although i have no problems with the so called cigarette advertising ban i feel that the authorities need to get to the real problem of why 80% of smokers start in adolescence it is not because of some cigarette stand at point of sale in a corner store. no the reason begins at home with the carelesness of the parents, as children grow up watching mummy or daddy smoking at home or in the car it becomes acceptable to the child that this is the norm, sooner or later temptation to try a cigarette becomes imbedded within the child purely and simply because parents leave cigarettes within easy reach, eventually the temptation gets to much and the child will try one at first and then another and another purely because they are at the childs disposal in front of them insight free and easy access i should know I WAS THAT CHILD…..
Report abuse
Pablo suggested ratcheting up the price of a packet of cigarettes to £10. Not a bright idea at all. It will drive the tobacco industry underground, and will suddenly make it profitable for criminal cartels to start getting serious with smuggling. Not the most attractive conclusion…huh…. which in turn will require more policing, and also take control of tobacco away from regulatory government bodies !!
Well, maybe the gun trade might suddenly get a boost also.
Report abuse
Tom – hello – this is not about stopping you smoking! no need to get emotional, you can still smoke as much as you want. If you read the article its just a ban on advertising. It is needed so people who dont want to smoke and/ or are trying to overcome their addiction, wont be as tempted. Keep it to the topic.
Report abuse
Phillip Morgan,
Consultation is not required – you have nothing to discuss other than your profit from tobacco sales. Your aim is to maximise it without regard to the effect on your customers. You know that, we know that, so why consult?
Perhaps you could put some thought into selling useful products that benefit people, instead of how you will line your pockets by peddling misery.
Implications of the strategy? Well, one may be that some small shops close. A golden opportunity for you to expand? Or a golden opportunity for you to sit back and complain about how we all owe you a living? Your choice…
Report abuse
well lets just see how much all of your tax(s) go up once people smoke less and less
Report abuse
John – True, but do remember that, on average, one-third of tobacco tax is spent treating the illnesses caused by smoking (NHS, 2008) (And Guernsey may be worse as tobacco tax is lower and treatment costs can be higher). We can make up the shortfall with a lovely big tax hike on alcohol. How’s that!!!
Report abuse
Nanny tried it in Canada. It added costs to retailers and had zero benefit whatsoever.
This is nothing but the biggots hiding behind the cloak of ‘health’ mangling another free market.
Food and alchahol is next and already begun. Tell the States and their ‘consultants’ where to go
Report abuse
Hi Student Bob,
Just for the record the NHS, like the rest of medical science, doesn’t know what causes diseases, if it did it would find the cure. Any honest scientist or Doctor would tell a smoker or non smoker who contracted lunng cancer, it could be any number of reasons, including the most likely, your prediliction in your genetics, your family tree.
As for the NHS they ban everyone from smoking in their buildings, including patients which has led to one death of an elderly patient taking a sneeky ciggy whilst in the loo. And the NHS have in many hospitals further bullied staff and patients trying to ban it from NHS grounds (that’s healthy for staff and patients having to walk out in winter).
But there is one known benefit.
NHS hospitals have a 1 in 300 chance of causing you to have an illness, even leading to deaths, because their premises are so filthy. That’s compared to a 1 in 120,000 (a statistical irrelvance in scientific terms)chance of getting a disease from smoking for life.
So regards taking health warnings from the NHS or the Dept of Health, the health warnings should be on their hospitals not cigarette packets. But then science was never what this was about. It was all about the politicisation of health (our lives) by extremist minority groups. The same interfering Nazis behind the food and drink campaigns.
Report abuse