The number of shops that are allowed to sell cigarettes could be dramatically reduced under practical new options modelled by researchers, while a separate new study reveals strong public support for making the deadly product less available.
The two new studies published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health provide complementary evidence for governments considering the future of tobacco retailing: one shows what the community wants, while the other demonstrates how reducing tobacco availability could work in practice.
With national smoking rates at record lows and strong public support for lowering the number of shops permitted to sell tobacco, health experts say reducing the number of cigarette retailers is the next logical step for Australia.
Research led by Professor Lisa Wood from the University of Notre Dame Australia, in collaboration with Cancer Council WA, modelled a range of potential scenarios which could restrict the number of outlets permitted to sell tobacco – a product that is widely available, yet kills two in three longtime users.
Scenarios looked at where tobacco could be sold, the types of retailers permitted to sell it, and their proximity to schools. The study found that allowing tobacco sales only at supermarkets could reduce the number of licensed tobacco retailers in WA by 82%, while prohibiting tobacco sales within 500 metres of schools could lower retailer numbers by 41%.
Alongside this study, Cancer Council WA Make Smoking History Research Fellow Dr Natalia Lizama led a survey of more than 1,100 people which found 70% of WA residents thought tobacco should be less available or not available at all, while 81% believed it should not be sold within 500 metres of a school.
Together, the studies provide evidence of both strong community appetite for reducing tobacco availability, and practical options for governments.
"Our research shows the potential impact of different approaches to reducing the enormous number of retailers licensed to sell tobacco," Professor Wood said.
"The modelling in WA shows that tobacco retailers are particularly clustered in lower socio-economic areas.
"There are currently 103 licensed tobacco retailers for every 100,000 WA residents. Two in five tobacco retailers are also within 500 metres of a school.
"All states and territories across Australia now have tobacco licensing schemes, providing a new opportunity for Governments to think about how many tobacco retailers we need, what the community wants, what types of retailers can be entrusted to securely store and legally sell tobacco, and where they should be located."
Dr Natalia Lizama said the public opinion survey found overwhelming support for making tobacco less available.
"The number and range of tobacco retailers is out of touch with community expectations," Dr Lizama said.
"The vast majority of Western Australians don't want tobacco sold on every street corner: in fact seven in 10 WA residents want fewer shops selling tobacco.
"Our research shows that the public overwhelmingly supports practical measures to reduce tobacco availability. This creates a mandate for strong policy to align with community expectations."
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, CEO, Public Health Association of Australia, says that all Governments should be looking at all available avenues to further reduce smoking, and protect the health of future generations.
Smoking rates are at a record low - 5.6 per cent. Yet it is estimated cigarettes are available to purchase in around 40,000 retailers across the country. It's time for all Governments to consider whether a deadly product that kills 66 Australians every day should be more available than daily essentials like milk, bread or fruit and vegetables.
"Most smokers want to quit, or wish they had never started. Having cigarettes so vastly available undermines smokers' efforts to quit, normalises use among young people and makes enforcement against illicit tobacco more difficult.
"The evidence is clear. We need to cut the number of tobacco retailers, enforce the law, invest in campaigns to encourage people to quit, and ensure smokers get the support they need, including government funded nicotine replacement therapy."
