Australian c-store owners ask for outlawing underage smoking

Published on November 20, 2009 9:42 AM

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Adolescent smoking must be considered a violation equally like drinking, according to the Chairwoman of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores.

The governing body for c-stores and gas stations urged the legislators to outlaw smoking among the teenagers less than 18 years, and provide the enforcement agency with the authority to levy fines or misdemeanors.

Cheryl Noon, head of the AACS admits that current underage anti-smoking policy provides heavy and unfair burden on store owners. According to Mrs. Noon, there is no legal deterrent for the kids to avoid smoking. She said that the association suggests shifting a part of responsibility to teenagers’ shoulders to give them a strong incentive to stay away from cigarettes, and added that they have restricted the adolescents’ access to tobacco products in a maximum possible way, and now it is up to the government to act.

In conformity with the present law, it is prohibited to sell tobacco products to youngsters and any retailer found to violate the law is subject to hefty fines. However, there is no word in the law about the penalties for teenagers, if they are caught on smoking.

The AACS points to alcohol policy, according to which in case a minor gets alcohol in an authorized store, then both that minor and the retailer would be penalized. Mrs. Noon said that the lawmakers implemented zero tolerance legislation for minors possessing alcohol, so there should be a similar policy for young smokers, in order to reduce teenage smoking rates.

The association chairwoman said that premier minister Kevin M. Rudd adopted an ambitious objective for Australia to become the world’s healthiest nation by 2020, whereas reducing the underage smoking rates was set as a main. The educational campaigns for teenagers have been important, but there should be a stronger deterrent for young people to smoke, if the officials indeed want to decrease the number of underage smokers across the country.

Statistics shows that nearly 70,000 adolescents take up smoking annually throughout the nation – almost 200 each day.

However, not everyone was delighted with the AACS proposal. Stan Stewart, vice president of anti-smoking coalition called Protecting Children from Tobacco, admitted there was no reliable proof that outlawing teenage smoking would reduce the smoking rates, and in contrary it could make it more attractive for youngsters, who are well-known to have a rebellious spirit.

Stewart said that the Australian Association of Convenience Stores attempted to reduce its liability for frequently offending the law by selling tobacco products to teenagers from under the counter and shift the public attention from the retailers to youngsters and enforcement agencies which would have to deal with underage criminals.

He added that the association should demonstrate its concern about the teenagers by backing the incentives to remove tobacco products from the stores’ shelves, or by stripping their employees of the salaries if they are caught on selling tobacco products to minors.