Shopkeeper launches petition against a tobacco display ban
Thursday 14th May 2009, 11:30AM BST.
A SHOPKEEPER wants islanders to sign a petition to prevent a ban on tobacco displays that, he said, endangers small businesses.
Paperbox proprietor Phillip Morgan said that the consultation paper to assess the impact a ban would have was biased.
‘The questionnaire is designed to deliver the answers they want. They did not ask what any shopkeepers thought.
‘The States are desperate to get this ban in and the consultation is acting as a smokescreen,’ he said.
Mr Morgan (pictured), who has given up on lobbying States members, continued: ‘We’ve decided it’s a stitch-up so we have developed our own petition which we will present to the Health minister at the end of the consultation period.’
In a letter that has been sent to garages, small shops and other retail outlets that sell cigarettes, Mr Morgan said they faced a very real threat.
‘The heavy cost of the display ban, which is likely to be imposed on retailers at the worst possible time, is being pushed through in the face of weak evidence that it will make a difference to youth smoking.’
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Didn’t we have this story a few weeks ago?! Kudos to the Press though for recycling.
Less seriously though, I still don’t get Mr Morgan’s point. The countries that already have a tobacco display ban have reported an average of 10% fall in under-age smoking (ASH, 2008). That’s a lot!!! I’ve got no idea on Guernsey figures, but if you think that maybe 500 kids between 11 and 15 smoke, then this ban would have stopped 50 of them. The NHS suggests that this group of smokers are three times more likely to suffer from smoking related diseases and yet Mr Morgan wants to continue to encourage them to smoke!!!! Geeeez, it’s almost Dickensian…..
Anyhoo, Mr Morgan, as I’m sure you’re aware, the majority of profit on cigarettes goes to the great and good States who in turn use roughly 30% of it to pay for medical treatment of smoking related illnesses (NHS, 2004). What is the retailers profit on 20 Marlboro Light? Why not use the liberated space at point of sale to sell something with a great big mark-up that actually profits you??
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Just that picture in itself condones the ban!
They should have put in a speech bubble saying “Have a smoke”….”and heres some for your friends..”
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Its so hard to believe that Mr Morgan wants to fight to have sticks of poison displayed in full veiw of the people who visit his shop !Maybe he does not know that smoking has killed up to 300 million people around the world or maybe he does and just dosnt care, as long as the profits come in.Shame on this man!
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Even as a social smoker I find this self serving, distasteful and ignorant
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People who Smoke will still buy their Cigarettes whether there is a ban or not, I think the idea is to encourage youngsters not to start which is a good thing. Please Mr morgan if you are so worried about making profits find something to sell that will and is not a health hazard. I agree with Neil shame on you.
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i wish they would ban this stuff completley, i`m a smoker but when i see all the kids who smoke then i`m more than happy to suffer the loss of my fag to save the lifes of those who will get into this horrible drug. actually you gain a hell of a lot more than you lose. freedom of choice to smoke? wish i didn`t have one in this case.
oh and shame on this “drug dealer”.
am i being a bit harsh hehe?
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“oh and shame on this “drug dealer”.
am i being a bit harsh hehe?”
No not at all, if you consider yourself to be a drug abuser/addict.
I am also a smoker and personally don’t think this is the ‘answer’ to stop young people taking up the habit, but to be honest I am not bothered where they move the cigarettes.
Mr Morgan will fail in his bid to keep the displays I am sure, especially if he allows pictures like the one above to be published!
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Cigarettes are the most lethal consumer product in the world. They are now the single biggest killer, beating such things as childhood diarrhoea, a major killer in the developing world. Smoking kills half its lifelong users and half of them in middle age. Cancer takes decades to develop, but if people start as kids they are more likely to develop smoking-related cancers in middle age.
So, all power to the States in pursuing this ban. If Mr Morgan is comfortable with selling a product that will eventually kill half of his lifelong smoking customers, so be it. That is no reason for Government to allow him to display that product for kids to see every time they buy sweets. Tobacco is not a normal product.
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Firstly, I am not a smoker but I am not a smoker hater!!
To say that businesses are going to suffer if they cant advertise cigarettes is one of the most foolish statements I have heard in a long long time!!!
Smokers go in to a shop & they know what they want – so what if there are no Neon arrows pointing to the cigarette stand??!!
Here is what will happen Mr Morgan – people will come in to your paper shop & ask for cigarettes – & then you can bend down under your counter & give them what they want… not exactly rocket science is it?! Oh & guess what – every smoker knows which brand they want without having them all on display – if you dont have their chosen brand then they know their second, third & fourth favorite brands – I know this as I used to be a smoker…
If ANYONE goes out of business after not displaying cigarettes, then it is not down to that particular ruling, it is down to bad management & them looking to divert the blame from their own incompetence!!
Wise up eh?!?!
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WH Bonney is spot on, people who want to smoke will buy cigarettes irrespective of whether or not there are “neon arrows” pointing to the source.
Advertising is mainly designed to pursuade people to purchase a product or service, not encourage the regular users. Although nobody who smokes can abdicate responsibility or claim ignorance to the health risks, if we can take steps to help prevent people becoming addictive smokers we should. If by removing the advertisments you help some people quit and others not to start, it should be done. People before profit every time.
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A message to all you people who are anti smoking, once you’ve had your pound of flesh with the smoking your precious booze will be next on the hit list. I bet you change your tune then, just think of the damage you are doing to your liver and to the young peoples lives who you encourage to be just like you.
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Blogger – I’m not anti-smoking, I smoke a good cigar now and then; neither am I anti-alcohol although I am pretty much t-total after spending a number of years as a binge drinker.
Also, don’t forget nobody is banning cigarette sales, just restricting advertising. Those that want to smoke will still be able to freely buy cigarettes.
I support measures that help stop addictive or excessive bingeing that leads to social problems, health issues and addiction.
This includes protecting impressionable people from substances until they are wise enough to make a reasoned choice. Part of that is to control advertising which, by it’s very nature, seeks to pursuade people towards the “merits” of their product.
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Next you will be telling me chocolate is the cause of obesity as it is on show, when will smokers be left to make their own decisions, does it matter if cigs are on display, is heroin etc on display, I dont think so, why then is there such a bad drug habit problem, especially in Guernsey.
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