Scots want to see more done to limit tobacco sales and use

A report published yesterday by Healthcare Improvement Scotland finds that people want more to be done to limit the sales of tobacco products.

The survey, commissioned by the Scottish Government, asked questions which will form part of a refreshed plan to be published this autumn, to support a tobacco-free Scotland.

The Citizens’ Panel survey, which ran between November 2022 and February 2023, found that of the 667 people who responded to the survey, 75% want more action to be taken to further limit who can sell tobacco products, and while 63% agreed the legal age to buy them should be raised from 18 to 21, 25% were opposed.  

Some 65% agreed that Scotland should increase the legal age of the sale of nicotine vaping products from 18 to 21 years.

In addition, the survey found that 80% of respondents said that they either strongly agreed or agreed that action should be taken to further limit who can sell nicotine vaping products. Just 9% either disagreed or strongly disagreed.

In addition, 67% felt packaging, in pack information and the appearance of cigarettes should be made more unappealing. Some 64% agreed that taxes on tobacco and vaping products should be raised, but nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) disagreed with this.

There was also wide agreement that the smoking ban should be widened to create more smoke-free areas where children congregate, such as outside schools and play parks, with almost nine in ten respondents (86%) in agreement. Just 8% disagreed.

The report recommends that the Scottish Government considers including all the measures that have the strongest public support in its Tobacco Action Plan 2023.

It adds that the Scottish Government should then consider further around more punitive measures, such as raising the age of purchase and raising taxation on tobacco and vaping products. After assessing the impact of these measures, these could also be implemented following a staged approach.

Clare Morrison, Director of Community Engagement at Healthcare Improvement Scotland said: “As Scotland looks to become tobacco-free in the near future, this shows that the majority of people believe more should be done to limit access for younger people to tobacco and vaping.”

Visit our Community Engagement website to access the full report.