Tobacco Display Ban Deadline of May 31, 2008 Looms in Ontario and Quebec..

May 20, 2008 -
The relevant subsection of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act specifies that, “no person shall display or permit the display of tobacco products in any place where tobacco products are sold or offered for sale in any manner that will permit a consumer to view any tobacco product before purchasing the tobacco product.” FACT SHEET 1.1: RETAIL DISPLAY OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS, last updated July 27, 2007) It is well known that the display of cigarette packages functions much like cigarette advertising in the minds of children, increasing their perception that cigarettes are easy to obtain and facilitating their recall of brand names (Wakefield M et al., An experimental study of effects on schoolchildren of exposure to point-of-sale cigarette advertising and pack displays. Health Education Research 2006;21(3):338-347). Ontario Convenience Stores Association (OCSA) said that more than half of the 10,000 c-stores in Ontario are not ready. One survey has shown four in five smokers want a ban on tobacco advertising in shops to stop youngsters starting the habit.Related news brief: Tobacco displays are on their way out in an increasing number of countries.. Meanwhile in the U.S.A. - Philip Morris is hard at work competing for prime tobacco display space in c-stores.