Will this new decision really stop people smoking?

The government knows this won't effect the amount of smokers. Its so they can still profit from tobacco tax but at the same time make it look like they are against smoking. 2 birds, one stone.. crafty buggers.

yes it will. The tobacco companies cannot advertise, so a large marketing ploy is to make the product visible. Where is that in a shop? Right behind the counter, so any kids buying sweets sees all of that branding in all its striking colours and absorbs it.

So I suggest that the packaging and position in a shop is a powerful marketing strategy.

It won't make a blind bit of difference. The government don't really want people to stop smoking because the tax outweighs the cost to the health service, and if smokers die younger it saves on state benefits and pensions in later life.

oh goody it will make it seem more naughty

like a red flag to rebellious teenagers everywhere

i cant wait to hear what they are going to do next

Exactly i totally agree with you.Its a pointless plan.Being a smoker myself i dont even take the packaging into consideration and the pretty packaging wasnt the reason i started.What i find to be an absolute joke is the fact that you can but Cigarettes at such a young age when you immature and dont even realize the consequences of your actions until its too late.Its a trap,its a cleverly designed trap to snare young people into a life long addiction.It doesnt matter if they put smoking kills on the packets because nicotine addiction is so strong that even when people know smoking kills they cant stop.
The only solution is to ban them completely and force people into cold turkey but they know if they do that then its going to cost the NHS millions if not billions to look after people who are suffering from nicotine withdrawl and they will also lose allot of money from TAX.

Im a smoker and i dont want to smoke but the nicotine addiction is so strong that i cant help it,most people who smoke dont want to smoke but they are stuck in the nicotine TRAP.I would really appreciate if the government banned smoking and forced me to go cold turkey.

Of course not if they banned it then you can still get cigarettes down the market and the gov would LOSE BILLIONS OF POUNDS in taxes

You are completely right and in truth, the government doesn't really want people to stop smoking, as it raises such capital for them - they simply want people to stop getting ill from smoking, which costs the capital.
If the government seriously wanted to stop people from smoking, they could just ban cigarettes...
Yes, of course there wold be a black market for cigarettes, but this would not be enough to feed the addictions of the numbers of smokers in the country and if enforced through the police, a ban would likely cut smoking by a huge percentage.
Again, however, this route would involve capital, in the form of invest in the police and border agencies - non of which suits the government.
I'm a smoker and I think they should just ban the bloody things.

I'll let you know after my ciggie break

*puffs*

No.

The only way for people to stop smoking is for them to want to stop!, all the warnings, and ads, will not...Or laws...

The government knows this won't effect the amount of smokers. Its so they can still profit from tobacco tax but at the same time make it look like they are against smoking. 2 birds, one stone.. crafty buggers.

"and people who don't smoke ain't gonna start after seeing cigarettes on display"

and you know this because ...........

I think it's the wrong decision. Tobacco counters should not be selling sweets etc, but I guess the only way to make it profitable is to do that, seeing as the profit margins for the retailer are pretty slim.

A better solution would have been to allow enclosed counters, that are not visible to under 18's.

All this nonsense has to stop.