Ban on in-store tobacco ads reduces awareness of smoking

The removal of in-store tobacco advertising has been successful in reducing the awareness of smoking among young people, according to a study.

Ireland was the first country in the EU to introduce this legislation in July 2009.

The study, carried out by the University of Nottingham in the UK, found that the recall of tobacco products among young people dropped from more than 80% before the measure, to 22% afterwards.

The report, funded by the Office of Tobacco Control, the Irish Cancer Society and Cancer research UK, shows that the removal of point of sale tobacco promotional displays had no statistically significant short term impact on cigarette pack sales, however.

"This is the first study to examine the impact of national legislation removing point of sale tobacco promotional displays on the retail sector," said researcher and economist, Dr Casey Quinn.

"No statistically significant change in cigarette pack sales was observed following implementation of the legislation over and above seasonal and underlying trends. This was the case even for smaller independent retailers."

"These findings contradict several recent reports coming from the retail sector that cigarette sales have rapidly decreased since the removal of promotional displays of tobacco and that this decline can be attributed to the policy. In contrast, the analysis indicates that any decline is almost surely a function of broader phenomena, such as the global recession."