Call to control tobacco supply 

Health researchers want an independent body set up to take over the distribution and supply of tobacco.

The suggestion is one of several radical new ideas being put forward to tackle the harm caused by tobacco.

Professor Richard Edwards from Otago University has presented the proposal to the Public Health Association Conference. He says a whole range of measures could then be introduced, including removing all the branding from tobacco, doing away with point of sale displays and not allowing tobacco to be sold within a kilometre of schools.

Edwards says the current emphasis is on tobacco demand but he is suggesting we should tackle the supply of tobacco. He says the tobacco industry would be taken out of the market by the independent agency.

Edwards also wants to see licensing for tobacco retailers, with stiff penalties for anyone caught flouting the rules.

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