Call to license cigarette sales

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Shopkeepers should be licensed to sell cigarettes in the same way as alcohol, say the British Medical Association.

Doctors want 10-packs of cigarettes and tobacco-vending machines to be banned.

The BMA is calling for cigarettes to be kept under shop counters and not to be on display as part of measures to shield children from tobacco.

But British Retail Consortium spokesman Richard Dodd said alcohol-style licences for shops selling cigarettes are not necessary.

The BMA said the July 1 smoking ban in enclosed public places in England will not protect unborn children and those who live with smokers.

Limit access

Its report also concludes that most underage smokers buy their cigarettes in packs of 10 rather than 20 because they are cheaper.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of BMA science and ethics, said steps should be taken to make it more difficult for children to get hold of cigarettes.

She said: "By banning 10-pack cigarettes and tobacco-vending machines and making tobacco products more expensive, fewer children will be able to buy them."

She also warned that the opening of windows and doors, reducing the amount smoked and not smoking in front of children was not enough to protect their health.

But British Retail Consortium spokesman Richard Dodd said it was hard to see what would be gained from keeping cigarettes under counters rather than on display.

"We don't think there is a need for a bureaucratic licensing regime for all retailers of cigarettes, because responsible retailers don't sell to youngsters," he said.