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Tobacconists Should Be Required To Have Licence

Thursday 7 June 2007

A leading medical charity will today tell members of the Health Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly that anyone selling tobacco should be required to have a licence.

A leading medical charity will today tell members of the Health Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly that anyone selling tobacco should be required to have a licence.

Andrew Dougal, Chief Executive of the NI Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) said “While we support the controls which are put in place for the sale of alcohol, this medical charity is conscious that tobacco kills more than ten times the number killed by alcohol abuse. This statement in no way diminishes the terrible suffering which alcohol causes in our community. It does however highlight how neglectful we have been in controlling the sale of tobacco products.

“Many retailers have behaved in a most responsible fashion. However a small minority persist in selling cigarettes to those under 16 years of age. It is the marketing policy of the tobacco industry to entice young people into experimenting with cigarettes before they are old enough to purchase them legally.

“If the Trading Standards Officers of a District Council found that a tobacconist was selling cigarettes regularly to underage children, then that retailer should be reported with a view to prosecution. Repeated offences would ensure the withdrawal of the licence.

“All retailers must behave in a responsible fashion when dealing with a drug which is more addictive than heroin and which causes 2,700 deaths each year in Northern Ireland and ongoing suffering by those who encounter lung cancer, emphysema, bronchitis, heart disease and stroke”.

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