Tobacco ‘power walls’ banned

Ontario smokers soon will have to pick the type of cigarettes they’d like to purchase by looking through a binder at their local convenience store as the provincial government has banned cigarette displays.
The province believes by taking this step, many lives will be saved—despite increasing concern among store owners worried that this will affect sales of tobacco products.
Mary Franko, owner of Franko’s Grocery in the north end of town, has had her business for 34 years. She sells cigarettes at her store and already has abided by the province’s new rules.
“It’s nothing big for me because a lot of people have quit smoking,” Franko said.
The deadline for Ontario’s 10,000 convenience stores to hide all of their tobacco products is this Saturday (May 31).
Premier Dalton McGuinty has said businesses must comply with the new rules because they’ve had years to adjust to the change. He also is on record that removing the displays makes smoking less tempting for kids.
The marketing of cigarettes always has been targeted at a young population but until recently, not much had been done to curb the power of the advertisement business.
“Science has demonstrated that these ‘power walls’ are effective at enticing kids so we want to get beyond that,” McGuinty told The Canadian Press.
The ban includes all tobacco products, and states that the products can’t be displayed in any way. It also prohibits customers from touching them before they are purchased.
The province is holding store owners accountable for ensuring all of their tobacco products are displayed behind the counter in a way that isn’t visible to customers.
The Ontario Convenience Store Association has said the move will cost retailers up to $2,500 to build new storage units and dismantle the displays they already have.
The “power walls,” or displays of cigarettes, have to be covered up.
Putting cigarettes behind “garage-style” cupboard doors that are open to display or any other alternative, including blinds or curtains, are listed as being unacceptable.
For Franko, she believes it’s a good idea and hopes it stops people from smoking. “I just wish my kids would stop smoking,” she admitted.
Franko heard the announcement from the government on the radio about two months ago, and noted a health inspector had come to her store to ensure she was aware of the rule and that she was complying with it.
Franko keeps the cigarettes she sells behind a hinged wooden cupboard that looks more like a shelf than a cigarette case. She didn’t have to pay any money to remove her display of cigarettes because her son-in-law built her the device.
“It’s time convenience stores stopped selling cigarettes right beside Twizzlers and hockey cards,” said Ontario Health Promotion minister Margarett Best.
Although Franko doesn’t see the rule as changing her business, many store owners across Ontario are displeased with the new implementations.
There will be tobacco enforcement officers who will check to see if stores are complying with the rule.
Small-business owners may or may not see a change in sales as smokers still will be able to get cigarettes. Only now, they just have to look at pictures rather than the cartons.