Almost two-thirds of Australians would support a push to make it illegal to sell cigarettes in shops, new research from the Cancer Council reveals.

Director of Quit Victoria, Dr Sarah White, expects fewer retailers will continue to stock cigarettes into the future, even without legislation banning it.

“I think that the market might just get to a point where the retailers say ‘There’s not enough people buying these products, it’s something I have to lock away, it costs me a lot to keep under my counter, we might just give it away ourselves’,” she told 3AW Breakfast.

“I’ve talked to quite a few retailers who are saying they’re not sure whether they want to stay in the business because it’s not a very profitable business for them.”

Press PLAY below to hear what the Quit Victoria director thinks will happen