Tobacco display ban ineffective

The ban on displaying tobacco products in shops has not reduced sales of these products, according to an Esmerk Finnish News story.

The chief physician of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Antero Heloma, was quoted as saying that while there was as yet no research data specifically related to the ban, tax data seemed to indicate that it had not affected sales significantly.

According to British American Tobacco figures, tobacco sales fell by two per cent in Finland last year, a fall that was thought to be part of the general decline in smoking in Western countries.

In fact, Lauri Mäkinen, head of corporate and regulatory affairs at BAT Finland, was reported to have said the decrease in smoking was somewhat slower in Finland last year than it was in other Western European countries.