Selling Cigarettes to Teens- A Taboo

Young children have started smoking. Still in teens, they have got addicted to smoking. Peer group pressure and parental smoking habits have led to their experimentation with cigarettes and pot smoking. Anti-smoking campaigns have often highlighted the seriousness of the issue. Members of these groups have impressed upon the government to restrict teen smoking. Even parents have expressed their concern over the issue. What is being done towards attaining this goal? Well, efforts are on to ensure that cigarettes are not sold to teens. How?

Efforts to Restrict Cigarette Selling to Teens

• In Sharjah and Ajman, 20 stores (March 2008) were shut down for selling cigarettes to children who were underage. Stricter municipal checks were being carried out in stores. The Ministry of Health is supporting a under-21 ban on tobacco selling, which is also applicable all over UAE
• Former US President Bill Clinton also authorized Food and Drug Administration to ensure that young people have to prove their age while purchasing cigarettes. Also, cigarette vending machines, which circumvent the ban of sale of cigarettes to kids, will be prohibited. Teens will not be targeted by marketing techniques used in sale of cigarettes. Tobacco advertisement billboards will not be displayed in school playground. Sale of T-shirts displaying cigarette brands will not be permitted
• Fines are being imposed by respective governments in case of sale of cigarettes to children who are under —age. In fact, merchants can lose their licenses to sell cigarettes
• Anti-tobacco education also helps to control the sale of tobacco to young children
• Legislation coupled with anti-smoking awareness will definitely impact the sale of cigarettes to children who are under age
• Parents also have been expressing their concern over the increase in teen smoking
• Raising taxes on tobacco also deters teenagers from smoking

Much is being done to control smoking among teenagers. Many are getting addicted to tobacco, which is affecting their general health. Smoking teenagers are exposed to several smoking-related diseases.