Law New legislation that prohibits visibility of tobacco products now in effect

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Tammy Scott-Wallace
Telegraph-Journal

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SUSSEX CORNER - Cigarettes have gone undercover.

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Tammy Scott-Wallace/Telegraph-Journal

Retail stores – with the exception of specialty stores – are required to have all their tobacco items out of sight. The measure took effect Thursday. The advertising above the casing shown here, as well as the cigars and chewing tobacco shown in the background, will all have to be hidden as well. Shown here earlier this week are Rick Buchanan and Amanda Williams at Bill’s Corner Store in Sussex Corner.

Whether or not the out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach will result in fewer smokers, only time will tell, says Bill Anderson, owner of Bill's Corner Grocery in Sussex Corner.

The province has ordered cigarette sellers to keep their tobacco products under wraps and banned any advertising associated with the products. The measures took effect Thursday.

Bill's cigarettes have all been hidden at his Sussex Corner store, taken care of by a tobacco company that added flaps to the front of his existing wall casing behind the counter.

Now all that remains is a bit of confusion that both customers and workers at his store will have to adjust to.

"We've had people ask if we're closing up," co-owner Anne Anderson chuckled. "It does look different back there."

Others simply question if the store stopped carrying smokes.

And for staff, there will be many flaps lifted before they memorize which compartments hold the item they are grabbing for.

"It has been no problem for us to make the changes," Bill Anderson said. "I don't know what difference the changes are going to make, really, but we'll see."

While the Andersons believe they may lose a few sales with the new ban on point-of-sale displays of cigarettes, they are supporting the amendments to the Tobacco Sales Act announced by provincial Health Minister Mike Murphy in March.

Murphy believes the ban will help more New Brunswickers become non-smokers and lead healthier lifestyles, and therefore ease the demands on the province's health care system.

Along with the covering, the new rules prohibit tobacco advertising in stores that usually comes in the form of large racks or displays of tobacco products and signs, which are sometimes referred to as power walls.

The exception to the rule are specialty tobacco stores, which now fall under a new category of business referred to as a tobacconist shop. These shops can display products and advertise them inside and outside their premises. However, people under the age of 19 will not be permitted to enter these stores unless accompanied by an adult.

The amendments will also make related violations of the Tobacco Sales Act a Category E offence under the Provincial Offences Procedure Act. Anyone who violates the new rules will be subject to a fine of between $240 and $2,620 for a first offence. A second offence may result in a fine of up to $5,120, and up to 30 days in jail.

The New Brunswick chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society has helped lobby for this amendment for years in order to limit the exposure and appeal of smoking in both children and adults.

Rosemary Boyle of the Canadian Cancer Society says smoking has decreased dramatically in the province over the years.

Smokers in New Brunswick are down to 23 per cent of the population, compared to upwards of 50 per cent in previous decades.

"When you look at the big picture it's not just one thing that decreases smoking rates, it's a combination of things," she said.