One-third of N.S. retailers will sell cigarettes to minors: study
Posted Apr 30, 2010 05:20:05 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Getting hold of smokes isn’t hard for minors in Nova scotia.
A recent study conducted by Health Canada found more than 34 per cent of retailers in the province were willing to sell cigarettes to a 17-year-old.
A release from the Canadian Cancer Society’s Nova Scotia division points out that’s a lot more than the national average of 20.5 per cent.
Only 10 per cent of retailers were willing to sell to 15 and 16 year olds, but the Society says most young people start smoking before they’re 19 so selling to a minor of any age is unacceptable.
Spokesperson Meg McCallum says the level of sales to 17-year olds shows the province urgently needs to implement a tobacco control strategy.
