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spring 2007 |
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h
e a l t h P R O M O T O T I O N
Government
sends message to restrict youth access to tobacco
“Government has taken an
integrated approach to tobacco control that includes public education
and awareness, legislation, enforcement, community and school based
programs, and supports for people to quit smoking,” said Health Minister
Ross Wiseman.
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Submitted Article |
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Two new tobacco retailer signs will be placed in retail stores
selling tobacco products in order to restrict youth access to
tobacco products. The signs, introduced by the provincial
government, inform and remind the public that it is illegal to
provide or sell tobacco products to minors. These signs also promote
being smoke-free as the healthy choice for everyone.
“Government has taken an integrated
approach to tobacco control that includes public education and
awareness, legislation, enforcement, community and school based
programs, and supports for people to quit smoking,” said Health Minister
Ross Wiseman. “We will continue to invest in smoke-free promotion, such
as these new retail signs, and engage with our tobacco control partners
to build on our initiatives and to create a healthy, smoke-free
province.”
The
Tobacco
Control Act prohibits retailers or other persons to sell, give
or furnish, directly or indirectly, tobacco to a person under the age of
19. However, according to the 2004 Youth Smoking Survey, 91 per cent of
youth who smoke in Grades 5 to 9 obtained their cigarettes from a
sibling, parent, family member or friend, or bought them from a friend
or someone else.
The new signs are an initiative of the
Tobacco Control Strategy and are in keeping with the priority areas
of the Provincial
Wellness Plan which include healthy eating, active living, staying
smoke free and injury prevention. To ensure the effectiveness of the
signs, government developed them in consultation with tobacco retailers,
youth and community organizations with an interest in tobacco control.
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