Relayed
by GLOBALink - The International Tobacco-Control Network by
PETER McLAUGHLIN / The Daily News
Source: Canada.com, 2002-05-14, via tobacco.org
Region:CANADA Category: Teen Smoking/Youth Issues
URL:http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=CCBE287F-DAD7-4167-
A334-098D019FA854
The Hamm government should scrap sections of its anti-smoking
bill that prohibit youth possession of tobacco, a health educator
said Monday. Sharon MacIntosh, who helped draft smoke-free regulations
in six municipalities, said there's no evidence outlawing possession
will reduce youth smoking without aggressive and expensive enforcement.
The fact the Minister of Health has already stated offenders
will not be charged, seriously undermines the legislation. "Ineffective
enforcement may actually encourage youth to flout the law and
have the opposite effect of that intended,'' MacIntosh told
the law amendments committee. She said the best way to target
youth smoking is to treat them the same as adults. "If
we want youth to comply with no smoking on school property policies
or legislation, youth and adults must be treated the same,''
said MacIntosh, who helped develop school smoking prevention
programs. Wolfville Mayor Bob Stead said the government should
move to a full ban on smoking, like the Wolfville did earlier
this year. He said the public is ready to support a 100 per
cent ban in public places.
