FAQ's on the Proposed Tobacco Product Display Ban
March 13, 2012 Press Release:
Proposed Tobacco Product Display Ban Intends to Reduce Youth Smoking
Why is a Tobacco Product Display Ban Necessary?
- Who would this new Tobacco Product Display Ban policy affect?
- Why is the Madison County Board of Health looking to adopt a Tobacco Product Display Ban?
- What would I have to do to comply with the Tobacco Product Display Ban?
- How will this affect my business?
- How would the Tobacco Product Display Ban be enforced?
- When would this take effect?
Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General (03/12)
Why is a Tobacco Product Display Ban Necessary?
- Tobacco use is far and away the leading cause of preventable death,killing more than 400,000 Americans, more than 25,000 New Yorkers a year. Tobacco is not a normal consumer product – it kills when used as intended.
- Tobacco addiction starts in childhood – nearly 90% ofregular smokers started smoking before the age of 18.
- Research demonstrates that displays of tobacco products – separate and apart from other tobacco advertising – increase the likelihood that youth will start smoking.
- Tobacco product displays create a false impression for youth of the social acceptability (normalcy) and popularity of tobacco use.
- Tobacco companies engineer product displays to make them as tempting as possible – and they pay retailers for the right to control and manipulate these displays.
- Displays of tobacco products prompt impulse purchases by people trying to quit smoking or people trying to smoke less.
- International examples suggest that display bans are an effective means of reducing youth smoking.
Source:
Berman, M., Miura, M., and Bergstresser, J. (2010) Tobacco Product Display Bans October 2010.The Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy, (p 4.) Boston, MA: New England Law
Who would this new Tobacco Product Display Ban policy affect?
- Tobacco retailers open to minors in Madison County, NY.
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Why is the Madison County Board of Health looking to adopt a Tobacco Product Display Ban?
- The Madison County Board of Health has a strong interest in protecting adolescents from tobacco dependence and the illnesses and premature death associated with tobacco use.
- Research suggests that preventing the display of tobacco products will lead to a significant decrease in the number of adolescents becoming addicted to those tobacco products.
- The Madison County Board of Health desires to reduce adolescent smoking and the public health consequences without prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adult consumers.
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What would I have to do to comply with the Tobacco Product Display Ban?
- The display ban would require tobacco products to be kept out of sight of the public in facilities open to minors.
- Retailers may put the tobacco products under the counter, in a back room, in enclosed/opaque shelving, behind a curtain or screen, or any other location where they cannot be seen by customers. In most cases, retailers can make simple modifications to existing shelving in order to comply with the new law.
- Retailers may use a “Tobacco Menu” to show adult customers the tobacco products that are available and the prices of each product.
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How will this affect my business?
- According to Convenience Store Magazine, a leading trade journal for tobacco retailers, once tobacco product display bans had time to be enacted; the impact on tobacco sales was zero.
- Since adults who use tobacco typically know what brand of tobacco they plan to buy prior to the sale, placing the tobacco product displays out of sight will likely not deter them from continuing to purchase tobacco products at their usual tobacco retailers.
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How would the Tobacco Product Display Ban be enforced?
- The Madison County Department of Health will conduct routine compliance inspections and respond to complaints.
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When would this take effect?
- Should the decision be made to enact a ban, we anticipate that this would take effect in Spring 2013.
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