SMOKING cessation charity Ash Scotland has called for the Scottish Government to introduce new restrictions on the sale of tobacco.
Ash Scotland has called for the Scottish Government to adopt a raft of new policies aimed at reducing the number of smokers.
Policies proposed include creating a new pricing mechanism similar to minimum unit price on alcohol. Ash Scotland has proposed introducing a minimum and maximum price, which it claims would “deter the supply of the cheapest products whilst also preventing the tobacco industry from shifting price increases from cheap to premium products.”
Ash Scotland has also called for the Tobacco Register to be conditional on compliance, with a new mechanism that would allow for “swift action to be taken against retailers who break the law.” It has suggested this could also allow the Scottish Government to introduce new measures on the availability and price of tobacco “without needing further legislation.”
The charity has also called for “structured programmes” for recording smoking status and providing “prompt provision of specialist smoking cessation and ongoing support across all healthcare settings – beyond existing service guidelines.”
