Children protected from tobacco advertising

Media release 14 October 2011 {www.heartfoundation.org.au}

Queensland children and ex-smokers were given further protection and support by the
new law passed last night in Parliament to ban the display of tobacco products in
retail outlet, effective on the date of proclamation.
The Heart Foundation welcomes this initiative and congratulates the Parliament for
bringing Queensland in line with other jurisdictions. Cigarette displays in our shops
are the last bastion of lucrative advertising space used by the tobacco industry to
promote smoking.
There are about 13,000 tobacco retailers in Queensland and each one has been able
to display 1m’2 of cigarette packets in prime point of sale locations, in plain view at the
checkout for every shopper and their children to see.
That 13,000m’2 of prime retail advertising space the equivalent of more than 720
standard outdoor billboards being displayed permanently around the state has given
the tobacco industry a free ride to display their products.
Heart Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Cameron Prout says, Research confirms
that retail displays predispose children towards smoking, and make them more likely
to experiment with tobacco products.
Most smokers start smoking as children and very few take up smoking after the age of
18. By the time they are old enough to make an adult choice, 80% of adult smokers
want to quit but they are so strongly addicted they find it very hard to do so.
Putting cigarettes out of sight will protect children from tobacco advertising and stop
undermining the resolve of smokers who have quit. This legislation will save lives by
reducing the exposure of tobacco products to children and by reducing the number of
children who take it up. It will also reduce temptation for recent quitters to impulse
buy.
Banning displays is an excellent public health initiative which will save lives, keep
families together and reduce the cost and burden of people living with smoking
caused chronic disease, including heart disease.
For interviews or more information please contact:
Jill Sims, Media and Communication Manager
Mobile 0421 911 116 or 07 3872 2541