Scotland: Call for a ban on tobacco sales near schools and playgrounds

Researchers from the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh[1] studied ways to reduce the supply of cigarettes and other tobacco products in Scotland. They ran simulations using the 9,030 registered tobacco retailers in the country and analyzed the impact of different policies on their numbers.

The issue of product supply and its reduction raises various options: restricting the type of stores authorized to sell tobacco, limiting the areas where these products are permitted to be sold, and capping the number of retailers. According to this study, stopping tobacco sales within 300 meters of children's areas (schools or playgrounds) would lead to a reduction of 70% in the number of authorized tobacco outlets.[2] and would help prevent youth smoking.

Overall, according to the study's models, limiting tobacco sales to a single type of point of sale would result in a reduction of more than 90% in the number of points of sale at the national level.

In 2019, a systematic review of studies conducted in the United States and internationally[3] found a positive association between a higher density of tobacco retailers near schools and the risk of youth starting to smoke. One study also found that smoking prevalence in schools with nearby outlets was higher than in those where tobacco retailers were located further away from the school.

Banning tobacco shops near schools can not only reduce youth exposure and access to tobacco, but it can also reduce social inequalities in this area. Retailer density is often higher in more disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Ban the sale of tobacco around schools in Scotland could be part of the approach to a tobacco-free generation by 2034. At the start of 2020, the association Cancer Research UK had called for more action from the Scottish government to reduce smoking in the country. Marion O'Neill[4], the association's communications manager, had declared that theScotland was off to a poor start in achieving its goal of a tobacco-free generation by 2034, estimating that 12% of the population could still be smoking by that date and 10% in 2050 among the most vulnerable populations. To reduce this consumption, considerable progress must be made, including the measurement of a reduction in the supply of products.

Keywords: Scotland, tobacco sales, young people, tobacco-free generation

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Caryl FM, Pearce J, Reid G, et al Simulating the density reduction and equity impact of potential tobacco retail control policies Tobacco Control Published Online First: 04 November 2020. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056002 [2] Call for tobacco sales to be banned near schools and playgrounds, The National November 5, 2020, consulted the same day [3] Marsh, Louise & Vaneckova, Pavla & Robertson, Lindsay & Johnson, Trent & Doscher, Crile & Raskind, Ilana & Schleicher, Nina & Henriksen, Lisa. (2020). Association between density and proximity of tobacco retail outlets with smoking: A systematic review of youth studies. Health & Place. 102275. 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102275. [4] Catriona Stewart, Scotland set to miss targets to stub out smoking despite serious health fears, Glasgow Times, February 25, 2020, accessed November 5, 2020 National Committee Against Smoking |