Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC - University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC - University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Tob Control. 2022 Nov;31(6):784-788. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055910. Epub 2021 Feb 12.
Tobacco retailer licencing has been recommended as an effective tobacco control strategy. In most European countries, however, retailers do not need a licence to sell tobacco products. We aimed to stimulate a discussion on the potential for tobacco retail licencing in Europe by describing (1) potential public health benefits, (2) licencing methods and (3) barriers and success factors in adoption of licencing systems. There is limited scientific evidence, but tobacco retail licencing may reduce smoking in three ways: (1) improved enforcement of and compliance to existing point-of-sale tobacco control policies (eg, minimum age of sale), (2) a reduction in the number and/or density of tobacco retail outlets and (3) denormalisation of tobacco. Licencing systems may take diverse forms. Systems may make licences expensive, and set criteria for purchasing a licence and retaining the licence after first purchase. In Europe, licencing systems have been implemented in Finland, Hungary, France, Italy and Spain. Licencing in Finland and Hungary was adopted for public health reasons; in Finland, with strong public support. In France, Italy and Spain, tobacco sales were state-monopolised, driven by economic motives. The cases of Norway and Scotland show that adoption of retail licencing may fail when political support is insufficient and tobacco retailers organise opposition with support from the tobacco industry. In conclusion, tobacco retailer licencing is a promising method to contribute to tobacco control efforts. Placing tobacco retailer licencing in a child protection framework may help generate the strong political and public support needed to effectively adopt licencing systems.
烟草零售商许可证制度已被推荐为一种有效的控烟策略。然而，在大多数欧洲国家，零售商无需许可证即可销售烟草制品。我们旨在通过描述（1）潜在的公共卫生效益、（2）许可证发放方法以及（3）采用许可证制度的障碍和成功因素，来激发欧洲对烟草零售许可证制度的讨论。虽然科学证据有限，但烟草零售许可证制度可能通过以下三种方式减少吸烟：（1）加强对现有销售点烟草控制政策（例如，最低销售年龄）的执行和合规性；（2）减少烟草零售点的数量和/或密度；（3）使烟草正常化。许可证制度可能采取多种形式。许可证制度可能使许可证变得昂贵，并设定购买许可证和首次购买后保留许可证的标准。在欧洲，芬兰、匈牙利、法国、意大利和西班牙已经实施了许可证制度。芬兰和匈牙利出于公共卫生原因而采用许可证制度；在芬兰，这一举措得到了公众的强烈支持。在法国、意大利和西班牙，烟草销售是由经济动机驱动的国家垄断。挪威和苏格兰的案例表明，当政治支持不足且烟草零售商在烟草业的支持下组织反对时，零售许可证制度的采用可能会失败。总之，烟草零售商许可证制度是促进控烟工作的一种有前途的方法。将烟草零售商许可证制度置于儿童保护框架内，可能有助于为有效采用许可证制度提供所需的强大政治和公众支持。
