Prohibition of Tobacco Displays in Shops - the Law

This is for those interested in the law in this area and where (apart from in specialist tobacconists) any tobacco display is prohibited - and how the law has been developed in recent times.

A Parliamentary Briefing paper has just been published which summarises the law in this area and it can be found here.

‘Display Regulations’ introduced by the Heath Act 2009 dealt with the practicalities of shops implementing the prohibition of tobacco displays and came into force on 6 April 2012 for large shops and on 6 April 2015 for all other shops.

Specialist tobacconists are treated differently. The ‘Specialist Tobacconists Regulations’ allow specialist tobacconists to display and advertise tobacco products inside their shops, provided they are not visible from outside. 

Source: House of Commons library