Scotland’s public health campaigners celebrated today as legislation to ban self-service cigarette vending machines was once again upheld by the courts.
Sinclair Collis, the UK’s largest operator of cigarette vending machines, challenged the Scottish Government over a ban on these machines, which was passed by a large majority of the Scottish Parliament and received Royal Assent in March 2010.
The ban on cigarette vending machines was proposed in order to restrict children’s opportunities to purchase tobacco, with vending machines often located in unsupervised areas, where staff could not monitor their use.
Sinclair Collis charged that the legislation breached European free trade rules, but their case was rejected by the Court of Session in May 2011. The Court of Session has now rejected their appeal of that decision.
A ban on self-service tobacco vending machines has already been implemented in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
For further information please contact John Watson on 0131 220 9468.
