“Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease. It is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and cancer,” said AMA (NSW) President Dr Brian Morton.

“The vast majority of adult smokers start as children, before the age of 18, and they can become addicted quickly to nicotine. Children are very vulnerable to peer pressure and marketing.

“AMA (NSW) welcomed the new measures as an integrated package designed to reduce the immediate harm to children from smoking in cars, reduce the marketing potential of point of sale display, one of the last remaining advertising outlets for tobacco products, and to enforce existing and new restrictions through licensing of retailers.

“Keeping cigarettes out of sight and banning sales from vending machines will reduce impulse buying. New smokers and smokers trying to give up will not get the signal to buy from a mass display of packets.

“Anti-tobacco measures have been one of the most successful public health campaigns. The public health importance of tobacco control outweighs other concerns such as consumer choice and retailer profitability,” Dr Morton said.