HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-12-01, Page 12Page 12 Times -Advocate, December 1,1993
New provincial legislation
tagets teenager smokers
By Catherine O'Brien
. T -A staff
EXETER - The provincial government introduced new anti-smoking
legislation last Monday that will raise the legal smoking age to19 in an at-
tempt to curb the number of teenagers and children taking up the habit.
But many wonder how effective the law will be.
"It is shocking that nearly one-quarter of our young people smoke,"'
said Health Minister Ruth Grier in a news release.
She said smoking among Grade 7 students has increased 50 per cern
since 1991 and this increase comes after eight years of declining
smoking rates.
"If we can help them reach the age of 20 without smoking, odds
are they will never start this deadly habit," Grier said.
The legislation, considered to be the toughest in North America,
is expected to be in place next year. It would boost the legal smok-
ing age to 19 from 18 as well as ban the sale of tobacco in pharma-
cies and vending machines.
In addition, the province wants to make all schools as well as
work and public places smoke-free by 1995. But achieving
this goal won't be an easy task.
Paul Carroll, director of the Huron County Board of Edu-
cation, said he has not yet received any official directive re-
garding the legislation.
But he said the legislation leaves many schools with a di-
lemma.
"We don't condone smoking, but recognize that some mem-
bers of our school community do smoke," he said.
"If we eliminate our smoking areas, the students will just move into the
neighbourhoods to smoke."
And if this happens students are likely to congregate at a regular spot re
sulting in complaints of loitering and littering.
There is also the risk of increased violence as
students are go off school property to smoke and
get into a confrontation with others. This is what
lead South Huron District High School to build an en-
closed smoking area on school property in recent weeks.
"I think we have a responsibility to keep the smoking
problem in our own back yard, rather than transferring it
to the neighbourhood," Carroll said.
The province hopes to cut cigarette consumption in half
by the year 2000 and reduce the number of people who die
of tobacco -related illnesses, Grier said.
Ontario is not alone in its move to increase the legal smok-
ing age. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and New-
foundland have also made similar moves.
But Ontario is the only province so far to ban
. the sale of cigarettes in pharmacies.
s
ttuen1S
snare
k.
smoking
ttvan Welk. 111. (,rand Bend
"I think it's stupid," he said.
"If you're old enough to vote
then you should be responsible
enough to smoke."
As a smoker he said he would
still be able to get cigarettes
from friends. "If you want
them, you can get them and
there's nothing the government •
can do about it."
Grier expects drugstores will file a constitu-
tional challenge against Ontario's legislation on
the grounds that it isn't illegal to sell cigarettes in
Canada.
kristie Palen, ln. ( rediton
"I don't think raising the age
is going to have any effect."
She said raising the age won't
change the fact that there are
students who have developed a
smoking habit.
Palen feels that you don't
have to go to a store to get cig-
arettes.
"Smokers always know where
they can get them," she said.
is►n Nanomit,, 1.', grand hen"
"Personally I might try to
quit," he said.
"But if you want to smoke
you'll find a way. It's just like
drinking under age. People do it
everyday."
Sandwith said the determing
-factor of whether people will
obey any..naw„iavi isbow mu
they get fined.
Because of you, •newspaper and flyer insert
reeoveryin households with 'Blue Box -service
•is an incredible 75%. Because of -you, -those
newspapers - 250,000 tonnes of them - didn't
end up in landfill. How much money did
that save Ontario municipalitieslast year?
Millions of dollars. -Add that to'the more
than $6 million revenue generated from the
sale of a quarter of .a million tonnes of old
'newspapers, --and the cost of .collecting news-
papers through the -Slue Box is more -than
covered. .Surprised? Well, now that you know,
take a bow.
'Recycling newspaplers and flyer inserts is a
real Ontario success story.Thanks to you.
The Newspaper Publishers of Ontario
"I think it's good if it discou-
rages people in younger grades.
from starting." But, he said, if
someone is already smoking;
raising the age isn't going to
stop them.
Parsons used to be an occa-
sional smoker.
IF GIVING GIVES YOU
WARM FEELING
IN YOUR TOES,
WE NEEDA LOT{
MORE WARM TOES.
'The giving begins with you.
D'Anna quit smoking three
months ago and is in favor of
raising the age. "Smoking isn't
good for you and if raising thc:
age keeps people from taking
up the habil, that's good," he
said.
"But it won't help anyone
who is already hooked."
1 mill 11,►Ili., tt'. 1,11 Ltuu
"[don't think it will mauer,"
Wallis said.
"There are kids 12 -years old
smoking and nobody is suppose
to be sailing cigarettes to
them."
She said kids are starting to
smoke at an age that is already
well below what is legal in Qtt
tario.
Distributor for
to
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