The research, which examined the views of smokefree experts, says dramatically changing the way tobacco is sold will be crucial if the Government is to achieve its goal for New Zealand to be smokefree by 2025.
Lead researcher Dr Lindsay Robertson said tobacco being available so widely was not consistent with the Government’s goal.
Instead, sales should be limited to a small number of R18 tobacco-only stores or pharmacies located away from schools, Dr Robertson said.
Apart from reducing smoking rates, the change could also help cut the rates of tobacco related crime.
The study involved in-depth interviews with 25 experts working in academia, public health, Maori and Pacific health and smoking cessation and was published in today’s edition of the New Zealand Medical Journal.
Participants held very consistent views on where tobacco should and should not be sold in the long-term and wanted dramatic restrictions.
Dr Robertson said allowing tobacco to be sold everywhere sent the wrong message.
"There is really good evidence from research that it sends the message that tobacco is normal and acceptable."
It made young people more likely to take up the habit and made it harder for people to quit.
"Its really hard for smokers to quit when every time they go to the local dairy to buy milk or bread they are faced with the knowledge that behind those doors there is tobacco."
She said removing the sale from all but a small number of specialised stores would create the "level playing field" retailers wanted and would not disadvantage one type of shop over another.
Given tobacco was a low profit item it would not have a large impact on shop owner’s bottom lines.
"Many retailers did not like selling tobacco, but felt they had to in order to stay competitive.
"They can’t not sell a product that’s available down the road."
A spokeswoman for Imperial Tobacco slammed the research.
"Closing down hundreds of small retail businesses and costing thousands of retail jobs isn’t ‘levelling the playing field’.
"It’s just a bad idea," she said.
