Display units present the range of tobacco products on offer from which adult smokers can choose. Some have argued that the display of product will increase the likelihood that young people will start smoking and those who are trying to quit will find it more difficult.
Adult smokers have expressed concern over the consequences of a display ban for them.
Information - Innovation - Genuine or fake?
A ban on display impairs an adult smoker's ability to find their brand, see the differences between competing brands and also to see any new products that are launched.
"I must admit that I usually buy my cigarettes in Sweden, and will probably continue to do so. When you can no longer see the tobacco here [in Norway], it is likely that smokers will buy cigarettes in Sweden even more than before."
Norwegian consumer, Demokraten, December 2009.
It is foreseeable that tobacco products will be developed which reduce the risk of disease when compared with conventional smoked products. Prohibiting all forms of communication as well as the display of all tobacco products would prevent adult smokers from knowing about them.
Removing all visibility of tobacco products can make it more difficult for consumers to tell the difference between genuine, contraband or counterfeit products, the reason being that consumers are no longer able to see what genuine products look like at legal points of sale. The ready availability of illegal cigarettes means that the only tobacco products smokers will be able to see are those illegal products sold on street corners, out of car boots and on the internet. These products do not pay tax, frequently have no health warnings and do not meet the stringent product standards that legal cigarettes have to comply to.