Singapore
The Ministry of Health has announced that starting in 2017, retailers of tobacco products will not be allowed to display them in their shops.
The ministry has said it will move to ban stores from displaying the products after amendments to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act are tabled in Parliament.
Once the ban, which will require that tobacco products are to be out of sight from the public at all times, is in effect, retailers may choose to use existing storage units, modify them, or install new storage units that are permanent, self-closing, and opaque. They could also use vertical blinds or even a curtain to ensure the tobacco products are hidden. The storage units are also to be in the same color as the decor or interior walls of the outlet, as long as the color does not draw specific attention to storage units.
Exceptions to this rule will be made in the process of restocking the display unit or during a sales transaction, unless the staff carrying out these actions stops to do something else.
The Ministry of Health also said it is prepared to allow a text-only price list in a standard format to facilitate transactions and ensure a level playing field while preventing misuse as a form of advertisement.
The ban is the latest initiative by the Ministry to encourage smokers to quit smoking and to prevent youngsters from starting. However, some retailers are saying that customers who want to buy cigarettes will still ask for and buy cigarettes anyway.