Minors increase the Tobacco Business

Published on June 22, 2009 4:25 AM

In Canada youngsters don’t feel free as adults feel, because they can’t legally buy cigarettes. And even the cigarettes displays were prohibited.

Statistics show that one in five Canadian adolescents report having tried smoking in a national survey run by a University of Waterloo researcher.

Anti-smoking researchers consider that the tobacco industry is a huge enemy which can’t be destroyed so easy, because they have very effective ways of continuing to make their product seem desirable especially for minors.

And that is a big problem which must be solved, because a significant portion of kids go on to become longer-term smokers.

For to show to all people how harmful is tobacco smoking, the World Health Organization declared May 31st World No Tobacco Day, which calls smoking a global epidemic and one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced.

Statistics show that more than one billion people smoke worldwide, and that number is growing.

In Canada raised popularity of flavored tobacco products such as cigarillos, sold cheaply and individually in colorful packages. Flavors such as mint, chocolate and strawberry make them "seem like candy".

A recent study found that almost 35 percent of 10 to 12 students tried cigarillos, or little cigars. And the harmless appearance of cigarillos will tempt children, especially those who wouldn't try smoking.

These findings made Government to introduce a new legislation by banning flavored tobacco.

Although there are laws against selling tobacco products to minors, many children are easily able to get their hands on cigarettes. And friends are the biggest source. This last study found that two-thirds of Grade 10 to 12 students got smokes from friends, compared to almost 90 percent of those in Grade 5 to 9.

Famous researcher Geoffrey Fong, who's heading a 20-country study on tobacco control, was invited by the Brazilian government to help with their World No Tobacco Day events. The theme of this year's World No Tobacco Day is cigarette health warnings, and in particular the graphic picture warnings on tobacco packages.

In general researchers concluded that tobacco use is decreasing in high-income countries, while it's actually on the rise in developing nations. For example was found that more than 80 percent of the world's smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.