Anti-smoking Law May Be Overturned in Government Review
THE GUARDIAN: Government could scrap Labour legislation to ban cigarette machines from pubs and tobacco displays from retailers

Cigarettes and tobacco products were supposed to have been removed from public display under a law passed under Labour. Photograph: The Guardian
Labour's legislation to ban cigarette vending machines from pubs and remove tobacco displays from shops and supermarkets could be scrapped by the coalition government.

The law was passed in the last few months of the previous administration, but the regulations that would have implemented the changes have been blocked after a campaign from cigarette manufacturers who threatened to seek a judicial review.

Rightwing thinktanks also claimed the bans would be "ineffective or counter-productive".

The possibility of reversing the Tobacco Act emerged in a reply to parliamentary question to the Department of Health, which said that given "the challenges facing business competition and costs", it would give further consideration to "the policy on display of tobacco products and sales from tobacco vending machines".

The vending machine ban was proposed by Ian McCartney, a former Labour minister, who said the machines gave young children access to cigarettes. The act also requires cigarettes to be sold "out of sight". Similar schemes have been introduced in Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Thailand and Canada. >>> Randeep Ramesh, social affairs editor | Wednesday, July 14, 2010