Cigarette ban wanted for the under-aged

Press, 2 June 1982, Page 25

Cigarette ban wanted for the under-aged

PA Dunedin The medical director of the National Heart Foundation, Dr D. R. Hay, believes the Government should make. it illegal to sell cigarettes to persons under the age of 15. Dr Hay made his claim in a leading article in the latest edition of the “New Zealand Medical Journal.” The 1927 New Zealand Police Offences Act made,it an offence for a person under 15 years to smoke in a public place or for a person to sell, give or supply cigarettes to a person under the age of 15. From February this law ceased to exist-and many of its sections were written into the Summary Proceedings Act. The Minister of Health’s . advisory committee on smoking and health recommended retention of the clause making it illegal to sell cigarettes to minors. However the Minister of • Health (Mr Malcolm). rejected this advice and argued that reducing smoking was a

question of education, not legislation, Dr Hay said. “Smoking is not' just a dirty habit. It is a public health problem of enormous proportions which costs this country thousands of lives and millions of dollars. “Sadly, the familiarity and truth of this message seems to have induced a reaction of apathy and weariness in high places and smoking control measures rank low in the priority list of health planners,” Dr Hay said; More than 1006 New Zealanders a year die from lung cancer, he said. Whether or not laws are enforced, they demonstrate concern; Their removal may be construed as a sign of Government apathy and permissiveness and will confuse both children and adults,- Dr Hay said. If children can get cigarettes easily, this encourages early experimentation and increases exposure to cigarettes. This in turn leads to dependency since it is easier to become dependent on cigarettes than on most drugs, he said.