New cigarette laws to be welcomed

The new laws for retailers about where cigarettes are placed in the shop and the banning of cigarette vending machines are most certainly to be welcomed. Personally, I think it's about time they were put out of sight from prying eyes. Vulnerable young people who see cigarettes behind counters are much more likely to want to buy them. By placing them under the counter, out of sight, we have a better chance of stopping people from taking up smoking in the first place. And the banning of the vending machines is particularly good, as what's to stop children from buying them from them. Recent years have seen a rise in the number of young people starting smoking so we need to try and do everything we can to put a halt to it. The reply from the Tobacco companies was not at all surprising, saying that the government is "penalising them" and taking "unnecessary action", I mean they would say that, wouldn't they, being the people responsible for the deaths of millions of people around the globe! Why people even start smoking is completely beyond me. It's time that we came up with a new campaign to discourage, not just children, but adults as well, from smoking. They are all sending themselves to a very gradual and painful death, at a much younger age than they would of if they hadn't began smoking! To me, cigarettes are simply death on a stick! A slower version of suicide!