Tobacco giant Phillip Morris has lost a court battle to again allow Norwegian retailers to visibly display tobacco products for sale in stores. The ruling by Oslo District Court came following a lawsuit filed by the US-based company in 2010 after Norway moved to force tobacco sellers to conceal all product logos and store tobacco goods in unmarked cabinets.Phillip Morris’ communication director Nordan Helland said in a statement following the ruling, “We still believe that visibility prohibition does not provide health benefits, and that wed to presenting legal goods in Norway should be allowed.” He added that the company was “disappointed with the court’s decision and are considering our options for appeal”, NRK reports.
Conversely, Karl Erik Lund, director of research at the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research (Sirius), said, “The result was what we had hoped and believed. We are incredibly happy that it must be possible for the authorities to take account of public health,” TheForeigner.no reports.
He added, “The outcome in the District Court is also extremely important in the fight against the use of tobacco products globally.”