Chewing tobacco - advice for traders
What is Chewing Tobacco?
Many different chewing tobacco products are available in
Rochdale. They include sweetened products containing tobacco which
is chewed such as Gutkha, Paan, Naswar and Paan Masala.
What are tobacco products?
Tobacco products include cigarettes and cigarette papers. But
you might not know that the term also includes chewing or oral
tobacco products such as Paan and Gutkha.
The Law
Tobacco products, including cigarettes and chewing tobacco are
governed by:
- Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act
1991
- Tobacco Products (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale) (Safety)
Regulations 2002
- Children and Young Persons Act 1933
There should be a warning notice displayed at the point of sale
which says:
“It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under
the age of 18”
This warning notice needs to be clearly visible at all times at
the point of sale. It should be A3 in size and the lettering
should be 36mm high. We can give you a notice if you need
one.
How to comply with the law?
- NO tobacco products should be sold to children under the age of
18.
- On all packaged tobacco there should be a clear
health warning so people can see that these products contain
tobacco and can be harmful.
- You should ensure that these warnings are printed on the
packets of Gutkha/Paan Masala in English.
The Penalties for Traders
Remember you commit an offence if you:
- Sell tobacco products to anyone under 18 years old.
- Sell Gutkha or Paan in incorrectly labelled packages.
- Don't display the Warning Notice you could be fined up to
£1000.
Failure to comply with the law could result in legal action
being taken against you with fines up to £5,000, or up to six
months imprisonment.