Anti-smoking groups on Monday urged the government to take steps to prevent the use of tobacco and nicotine products by young people.
The government should ban all flavored tobacco products, increase the size of warning labels on cigarette packets, and establish a novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products (NENTPs) crackdown platform, the Alliance of Banning Cigarettes Taiwan told a news conference in Taipei.
Also speaking at the news conference, John Tung Foundation Tobacco Hazard Prevention section head Lin Ching-li (林清麗) called for a ban on the advertisement and promotion of all tobacco products on the Internet.
Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics showed that more than 25,000 people die of smoking-related illnesses and more than 3,000 people die of secondhand smoke–related illnesses every year, he said.
About 90 percent of long-term smokers begin smoking in their teenage years, according to statistics from the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and other organizations.
Young people typically start smoking due to environmental factors, particularly the influence of peers and family, and a desire to fit in. When children see their parents smoking, it normalizes this behavior for them and creates the perception that smoking is harmless. Meanwhile, when peers smoke at school, teenagers might see this as a necessary behavior to socialize with others.
Teenagers might also start vaping or using other NENTPs to keep pace with trends, or because they see famous people using them in media. Banning the advertising of these products would help reduce their visibility, but there should also be efforts to educate young people on the harmful effects of smoking and of the carcinogenic additives used in cigarettes, and other tobacco and nicotine products. The government could employ an aggressive public service announcement campaign through social media, or by taking out ad space in popular apps and mobile games. Anti-smoking content could also be added to the curriculum at public schools.
The Ministry of Education could consider offering incentives and rewards once or twice per semester to students who do not smoke. This could be done by using an honor system, or by confirmation from parents.
The government could take measures to reduce smoking among adults, which would indirectly benefit young people by leading through example and reducing their exposure to secondhand smoke. A reduced prevalence of smoking would also improve air quality in urban environments, and reduce the presence of cigarette butts on streets and sidewalks.
Measures such as warning labels on tobacco products are unlikely to deter smoking. Instead, the government could significantly increase cigarette prices, with the extra money being invested in programs to help people quit smoking. At the same time, it could greatly subsidize the cost of nicotine gum and patches for those taking steps to quit. Those on the path to quitting smoking could also be encouraged to join free counseling or support programs.
People would also be more motivated to quit if smoking was less convenient. If the government required that tobacco products be sold only at specialized shops — and not at supermarkets and convenience stores — then buying them would require smokers to go out of their way, and tobacco sales would be limited to normal working hours. Stricter enforcement of no-smoking rules near building entrances would also make smoking less convenient and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.
Prohibiting the advertisement and promotion of NENTPs and cigarettes is an important step toward reducing the visibility of these products, but the government should also take measures to improve education about the risks of vaping and smoking. Such measures, combined with steps to reduce access to tobacco and nicotine products, might reduce their use.
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