Imperial Loses Scotland Display-Ban Challenge

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 10/08/2010

A judge has dismissed a legal challenge by Imperial Tobacco against the Scottish government's ban on displaying tobacco in stores, according to a Daily Record and Sunday Mail story. Imperial had argued that the display ban and a forthcoming ban on selling cigarettes from vending machines were outside the legislative competence of the Scottish parliament. But judge, Lord Bracadale, sitting in the Court of Session in Edinburgh, rejected Imperial's arguments, saying none of the challenges the company had made were "well founded". In his ruling, Lord Bracadale explained that at the heart of this challenge was whether the tobacco display ban and the vending machine ban were measures that would regulate the sale and supply of goods or were intended to improve public health. He concluded the aim of the legislation was to reduce smoking in children and therefore to improve public health. Enditem