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SCMP Reporter

THE ban on selling cigarettes to youngsters under-18 will be difficult to enforce.

 While the ban is being discussed in the Legislative Council, retailers contacted by the South China Morning Post expressed reluctance to enforce the law.

  Although the law will authorise retailers to check customers' identity cards to find out their age, some said they would not bother.

  It will be an offence for retailers to sell cigarettes to people below 18 under the proposed legislation.

  A convenience store saleswoman said: 'I would not check a customer's identity card if he looked tall and big even though he was in school uniform.'   But the owner of a store in North Point, Ng Tok-chun, said he would be flexible in his approach.

  'Unless it is obvious that he is very young, I will not be too strict in asking for his ID card,' Mr Ng said.

  Another store owner Chow Kam-ha said she would not sell cigarettes to those dressed in school uniform. But as long as the customer is not in school uniform, she would not care about one's age.

  A saleswoman at UNY department store said she would not check ID cards because she considered that to be very offensive to customers. 'I cannot ask customers for ID card because they would get angry and I would be in trouble.'   A 17-year-old fifth-former of Delia Memorial School, who declined to give his name, said there must be some way to get cigarettes, even under the ban. 'I can ask my friends who are over 18 to buy cigarettes for me. Besides, there must be some stores that will not question my age.'   Another student at the same school said they could buy smuggled cigarettes from China in the markets where their age would not be questioned.

  Although the students knew that it would be against the law to buy cigarettes, they were not discouraged from smoking.

   'I won't stop smoking even though it will be more difficult to buy cigarettes. Besides, I doubt if they [the retailers] will stop selling cigarettes to us, it is not in their commercial interests.'   The spokesman of Health and Welfare Branch, Bobby Chan Kim-leung, said the police were told to step-up patrols to ensure enforcement of the law. 'Self-discipline of retailers is also very important in enforcing the law,' Mr Chan said.

  He said the law would not be the only way to combat youth smoking.

  'It would be ridiculous to count on this law to discourage youths from smoking. There will be other measures to make things work such as more education in schools and more advertising or publicity on this matter.'   The Urban Council will also inspect whether stores and retailers have put up notices informing people that selling cigarettes to youngsters would be prohibited.

  Hayley Kan Mee-lin, assistant director of the Tobacco Institute, said that retailers generally understood and supported the spirit of the law.

  'I believe that the retailers will co-operate with the Government,' she said.

  Miss Kan said the responsibility to curb youth smoking should not be placed solely on the retailers.

  'We should help the retailers by having more education and publicity to let the public know more about this law.'   She said they were waiting for instructions and guidelines from the Government to prepare posters and display signs for retailers.



Retailers reluctant to enforce tobacco ban for under-18s