18/01/2012

NI To Ban Cigarette Vending Machines

Moves are being made in Northern Ireland to ban the sale of cigarettes from vending machines.

In a bid to reduce the number of young people smoking, regulations were agreed today that will see cigarette vending machines banned from March this year.

The ban comes after figures were released revealing 14% of smokers in NI are aged between 11 and 16 years, with cigarette vending machines being the usual source of tobacco for this age group.

Northern Ireland will follow behind England who placed a ban on selling tobacco products from vending machines in October 2011 and Wales who are due to implement a similar ban next month. Scotland is expected to follow suit.

Health Minister, Edwin Poots said: "I recognise that banning the sale of tobacco from vending machines will not, in itself, solve the problem of children’s smoking. However it will remove an easily accessible source of tobacco from underage children, as well as support the thousands of smokers who try to quit each year. This links in with the two main objectives in my Department's new tobacco control strategy which is due to be published later this month."

(LB/DW)

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