AS A local shopkeeper I am extremely concerned at the proposed legislation to ban the display of tobacco in shops like mine.
Politicians at Westminster are currently debating the issue and will soon come to a decision.
The Government thinks the ban will reduce youth smoking but kids don’t smoke because they see tobacco in shops.
They smoke because of peer pressure and because they want to look older or tougher than they are.
This ban won’t stop young people smoking, but what it will do is seriously affect my business.
It will cost me hundreds of pounds to conceal my stock and will drastically slow down my customer service times, making it harder to compete with larger shops and driving customers elsewhere.
I provide a valuable service to my community and I am a responsible retailer who would never sell tobacco to under-18s regardless of whether it is on display or not.
If the Government wants to combat youth smoking, they should make it illegal for adults to buy for the under-18s and reduce the black market in tobacco which is rife across the UK.
PAUL WHITMAN Blackbird Leys Road Blackbird Leys Oxford
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