In a move to make cigarette inaccessible to children, the doctors in Britain called for a ban on the sale of 10-cigarette packs. A move which has already been given a green signal in The Republic of Ireland, which will ban the sale of ten-cigarette packs from May end.
The British Medical Association (BMA) further proposed that cigarettes should not be displayed and tobacco vending machines should be made illegal. The BMA even proposed a raise in taxation on tobacco well above the rate of inflation.
The ills of cigarette smoking is one of the major social concerns, and children are more susceptible to health problems arising out of cigarette smoking.
The BMA said that children who have parents who smoke are more likely to end up being smoker, and hence the move should be to attack at the root by helping their parents to quit smoking.
The doctors’ move is very significant in this direction, as England bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces from July 1, and similar restrictions are already or about to be imposed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.