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Nov 13th, 2007 - 12:24:13
However, the poll shows that Czech tobacconists are now more responsible in this respect. Three years ago, 60 percent of respondents admitted they had sold cigarettes to juveniles under 18, which was 11 percent more than now. The number of tobacconists who demand an ID from a young-looking customer has also increased to 65 percent, compared to 56 percent in 2004, STEM director Jan Hartl told reporters Monday. Czech tobacconists are now more aware of the law from 1999 that increased the age limit for buying cigarettes from 16 to 18 years. While in 2000, 79 percent of tobacconists knew about the law, now it is 96 percent, Hartl added. The number of Czech tobacco product sellers who condemn children's smoking in general has also rising. Seven years ago, 60 percent of tobacco sellers considered it a problem, now their share amounts to 81 percent. Though a crushing majority of tobacconists know about the ban on selling cigarettes to children, they violate the law as the legal sanctions for such acts are quite low. Under the law, a tobacco shop can be fined with up to 500,000 crowns for selling cigarettes to minors, but in reality the fines are much lower. Tobacconists are usually given fines of about 1,000 crowns in similar cases, said Jindrich Vanek from the Alliance Law 18 association to inform on the ban on selling cigarettes to children. One of the reasons is that the control mechanism is unclearly defined in the law. The police are in charge of checking the sale of tobacco products to children, but they are not allowed to impose fines. They must report the case to the municipal authority that launches proceedings on a misdemeanour. Consequently, shop-assistants and not tobacco shops owners are usually being fined, Vanek added. According to the Global Youth Tobacco Surveys (GYTS) international study released this summer, almost 70 percent od Czech primary school pupils from the seventh to ninth grades have ever smoked. The survey shows that 28 percent of Czech boys and almost 32 percent of girls smoke regularly. Eva Kralikova from the anti-smoking advisory centre points out that 90 percent of Czech smokers have smoked their first cigarette before they turned 11. In Prague it is at the age of 9.5 years on average. © Copyright 2006 by DiscountCigarettesBox.Com Top of Page |
