Tobacco controls - Minors must be protected

While there is no longer any doubt about the harmful effects of tobacco, adults have a right to smoke it if they so desire. But society seeks to protect impressionable young people.

Tobacco companies should not be allowed to advertise or promote cigarettes in a manner that glamorises them. Nevertheless young people are being routinely exposed to the dangerous promotion of tobacco.

Cigarettes are frequently placed among a range of familiar products, thereby generating the impression that tobacco is both harmless and socially acceptable.

A number of provisions are due to be implemented in the second half of this year to de-normalise tobacco and protect children. But the monitoring report of the Office of Tobacco Control published yesterday indicates that 40% of shops selling cigarettes were willing to sell them to children under 18 years of age.

Although the figure was down from 48% the previous year, the fact that two out of five shops were permitting the sale to minors is outrageously high. Existing controls are obviously not strong enough, but then a mere 20 prosecutions in 2007 is a pathetic reflection of any determination to deal with this serious problem.