Stores may be forced to hide tobacco

LONDON, March 24 (UPI) -- British vendors may be barred from openly displaying cigarettes pending a consultation to be set forth in the spring, a Monday report said.

One measure being considered would require stores to conceal tobacco goods below counters. Another would ban bars and restaurants from having cigarette vending machines. If legislation is necessary it may be presented in the fall, The Times of London reported.

The new tobacco regulations reportedly are intended to keep cigarettes out of the reach of children.

"It's vital we get across the message to children that smoking is bad. If that means stripping out vending machines or removing cigarettes from behind the counter, I'm willing to do that," Dawn Primarolo, the minister for Public Health, told The Times.

Similar tobacco regulations have started forming in Ontario, Canada, and parts of Australia.