Well, I think there's some sense to it. I'm not even going to discuss the age thing, but the general rule of thumb: "out of sight, out of mind" seems to apply here. If they're simply trying to reduce the amount that people smoke keeping the cigs out of sight makes sense. YES, people know they're there, but they're only going to ask for them and seek them out if they already want them (which is fine of course), but if they're simply checking out or walking through the aisle they're not going to stop and say "well you know, I think I'll grab a pack of cigarettes".
Woo HOOO! I'm proud of you! Good Luck!!!
Keep us posted about your success!