Northumberland shops in favour of the government doing more to end smoking

A new report commissioned by charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that the majority of local retailers in England want the Government to go further to reduce the harm caused by tobacco and are in favour of reducing the ease of purchase.

North East health campaigners Fresh are backing ASH and calling for the Government to listen to retailers who want to see more regulation to protect local communities, their reputation and their business.

The report, ‘Regulation is not a dirty word’, shows that 84 per cent of retailers in the North East support the introduction of a mandatory retail licence in order to sell tobacco, which is currently not a scheme in place.

The report also found that 68 per cent of retailers support raising the age of sales for cigarettes from 18 to 21 years. Many of these retailers believe age verification guidelines should be introduced.

More than 70 per cent of retailers in England support tougher punishment to control the sale of tobacco products. This would include larger fines, quicker closures of shops and regular checks by trading standards.

Ailsa Rutter OBE, director of Fresh, said: “Every year, over 5,000 people in our region die from a smoking-related disease and many more are left with life-limiting conditions.

"If the Government is serious about its ambition to achieve a smokefree England by 2030 it needs to take action now to support more smokers to quit and prevent young people from starting to smoke in the first place.”