United Kingdom - limiting access to cigarette vending machines not possible..

October 8, 2009 - British Heart Foundation (BHF) has repeated its calls for a ban on cigarette vending machines prior to a parliamentary debate on new ways to restrict the sale of tobacco. BHF says the machines make it too easy for young people to buy tobacco underage.

As part of the Health Bill, which will be debated in Parliament on Monday, the Government has proposed that the cigarette vending machines should be age restricted, for example by a landlord or shopkeeper granting use via remote control. But the BHF published research which suggested nearly two-thirds of licensees (63%) felt this would be impossible in busy periods.

Half of the 300 pub bosses surveyed said they earned £500 or less from the machines per year, and 63% felt removing them would have no impact on their business.

Chief executive of the BHF Peter Hollins said: "The Government's proposals are unworkable and unrealistic. The message from the pub industry is loud and clear, they can't make these proposals work and the loose change they make from these machines isn't worth the hassle of keeping them.

"The only people with a real interest in vending machines are the tobacco industry. Every year young people start a life time's addiction on cigarettes by buying them from a vending machine. The Government needs to be braver and put the interests of children ahead of a commercial lobby."

According to the charity, last year 12% of children and young people in England who smoked regularly usually bought cigarettes from machines.

Mr. Hollins: "Smoking is one of the biggest avoidable causes of death and disease in the country. Yet we continue to allow vending machines which undermine the restrictions already in place, and allow children pick up an addiction they take into adulthood."

BHF says the results of its surveys show that the health conscious move would not have an adverse impact on the pub trade, with four out of five landlords claiming the revenue from the automated devices doesn't amount to much.

Jayne Murray, Public Affairs & Communications Manager at BHF NI said: "The UK Government's proposals outlined in the Bill are unworkable and unrealistic.

"The message from the pub industry is loud and clear, they can't make these proposals work and the loose change they make from these machines isn't worth the hassle of keeping them.

"The only people with a real interest in vending machines are the tobacco industry. Every year young people start a lifetime's addiction to cigarettes by buying them from a vending machine. Both the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly needs to be braver and put the interests of children ahead of a commercial lobby."

For Northern Ireland BHF estimates that around 850 regular smokers aged between 11 and 15 access cigarettes from vending machines.

Survey results have showed that 70 percent of adults in the UK back proposals to protect children from tobacco by putting it out of sight in shops and 76 percent support abolishing cigarette vending machines.

Reference: Pubs ready to ditch cigarette machines/a>, Belfast Telegraph, 10/8/2009; http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20091008/tuk-call-for-ban-on-cigarette-machines-6323e80.html, Press Association, 10/8/2009.

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