Mar 19, 2013
By Jane Brown
New York City’s mayor is taking a page out of Canada’s book when it comes to selling cigarettes. Michael Bloomberg is proposing that cigarettes be kept out of sight in city stores. Shops from corner stores to supermarkets would have to keep tobacco products in cabinets, drawers, under the counter or in other concealed spots. This has been the practice in Canada for a number of years already. A display ban is in effect for all of Canada’s provinces and territories. Saskatchewan was the first to implement it in 2005. Ontario’s cigarette display ban went into effect in 2008.
Anti-smoking advocates and health experts hail the plan in New York City as a bold effort to take on a habit that remains the leading preventable cause of death. But retailers and smokers are complaining that they’ve had enough with the city’s crackdowns, such as a controversial ban on super-sized sugary drinks.
Along with Canada, Iceland, England and Ireland ban cigarette displays, but the New York measure — if adopted — would be the first in the United States.
(with contributions from The Associated Press)
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