Scotland, recently, became one of many other states where cigarettes sales were restricted. Minister plans to ban even cigarette vending machines and prohibit stores from openly exhibiting tobacco products.

The violent measures will include a new registration scheme for shops which sell tobacco products, immediate fines for tradesmen who sell to under -18s and for retailers who continue to sell to young smokers.

The tobacco control bill, revealed by the Scottish public health minister, Shona Robison, hope to get cross-party assistance in the devolved parliament in Edinburgh.

But tobacco traders debated that there is no evidence that forcing cigarettes under the counter would cut underage smoking. They say it would cost decline-hit shops between £2,000 and £5,000 to implement.

Ministers have made plans to prohibit the sale of cigarettes in packs of 10, and government was legally empowered to do so.

Scientists showed that in March 2006, Scotland under a Labor led coalition became the first part of the UK to ban smoking in public places. But in October 2008, the minimum age for purchasing tobacco was raised to 18.

Ministers and the chief medical officer for Scotland, Harry Burns, said that more strict and more rigorous controls were needed for to protect public health, and especially to stop children smoking.

In 2006 was investigated youth smoking. At the end of this investigation researchers found that 47% of 13-year-olds and 82% of 15-year-olds said they had bought cigarettes in shops.

The same study found that minor smokers made more than a third of vending machine purchases: one in 10 smokers aged 13 and 15 had used them.

Research showed also that those children who started smoking at 15 were three times more likely to die of cancer than a smoker who began in their mid-20s.

The main aim of Government is to prevent young people taking up smoking and this new bill is designed to do that.

Cathie Jamieson, Labour's shadow health secretary at Holyrood, said the bill was likely to get her party's support, a security that gives the bill commanding majority support at Holyrood.

She said: "Scottish Labour led the way by being the first part of the UK to ban smoking in public places. We will look closely at any serious measures that will help people give up cigarettes."
She would ask ministers to introduce measures to change a culture where smoking was still acceptable, particularly targeting children.

The ban on displaying cigarettes mirrors similar measures in England where, like Scotland, the new rules will come into force for larger shops in 2011 and smaller retailers in 2013.