Nobody in Tayside or Fife has been given a spot fine for selling tobacco to teenagers or “proxy purchasing” on behalf of youngsters.
“Prevention is the key to reducing young people smoking, and we need to communicate to young people just how deadly this product is, and how manipulative and destructive tobacco companies are. The vast majority of smokers wish they had never started, and I hope smokers will join us in helping tell young people that this is an addiction not worth starting.
“A quarter of all adult deaths in Scotland every year are caused by smoking and that takes a toll on all of us our NHS, our communities and families. It’s up to all of society to stop our young people taking up smoking and that includes ensuring young people cannot get hold of cigarettes.
“Our polling shows there is huge support for this policy with a massive 91% of respondents saying they agree it should be an offence to buy cigarettes on behalf of a child. This indicates that adults realise there is a responsibility to keep this damaging product out of the hands of young people and that those who supply it to them, should be subject to enforcement action.
“Fifteen thousand young people in Scotland take up smoking every year. It is those young people now who will unfortunately make up the smoking death and disease statistics of the future.
“Tobacco is a product that is easy to get addicted to and has hugely damaging health impacts. Preventing our future generations from smoking is a duty for all of society and we all have a role to play in ensuring our children do not get access to cigarettes.”
Five weeks ago new laws came into force giving trading standards officers the power to issue fixed penalty notices.
A new poll shows there is major support for the new measure that means it is now an offence for an adult to buy cigarettes for a child.
Research shows that most adult smokers began smoking in their teens and the new legislation was brought in to try to tackle the problem, and, by discouraging young people from starting to smoke, help prevent them from becoming addicted and experiencing the serious health dangers of smoking.
An estimated 47,000 under 18s smoke and around 15,000 young people take up the habit each year in Scotland.
Fife Council and all three Tayside local authorities said they had not issued any fixed penalty notices.
Geoff Bates, team leader with Fife Council’s trading standards department, said, “We have not handed out any notices yet but we will follow up any complaints that we receive and we will follow the Scottish Government’s enforcement guidelines.”
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of anti-tobacco charity ASH Scotland, said, “It is an offence to sell tobacco to under 18s and as of 1st April there are now new laws that aim to further reduce children’s access to cigarettes.Proxy purchase”Retailers can now be given a fixed penalty fine for selling to under 18s and it is also now an offence for an adult to buy tobacco for someone under 18 known as ‘proxy purchase.'”
The charity yesterday published a new opinion poll that shows massive support to stop Scotland’s youngsters smoking.
Polling for ASH Scotland shows that a huge majority of people think it is socially unacceptable for anyone under 18 to smoke and that there is major support for the new measure that means it is now an offence for an adult to buy cigarettes for a child.
“Our polling shows that Scots support measures that aim to stop youngsters smoking,” said Mrs Duffy. “I am pleased that 83% of respondents to the ASH Scotland YouGov poll think it is socially unacceptable for an under 18 to smoke.
“I believe that people understand the damage that smoking can cause and know it’s when people are young that they are most likely to start smoking and to become addicted to tobacco.
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