Underage smoking is a major health threat among children and teenagers. According to statistics, convenient stores and Internet cafes are the most frequent places that kids go to buy cigarettes.

 

A summer camp for teenagers focused on tobacco control was held in Jiayi city under the sponsorship of Jiayi City Health Bureau, Taiwan. Some 40 elementary school students created a 12 meter long Styrofoam dragon painted with tobacco control slogans- “protect the future generations” paraded the dragon with the  popular song “Bo Bee” to the Internet cafe to ask the owner not to sell cigarettes to minors.

 

The owner agreed by giving these students a stuffed red envelope with money as a token of appreciation. Many on-lookers applauded the elementary students who initiated the anti-smoking campaign.

 

Shu-Rong Sun (孫淑蓉), Director of Jiayi City Health Bureau, reminded shop owners to identify customers’ legal age through identification confirmation and inquiry before selling tobacco products. Violators guilty of illegally selling cigarettes to minors will be fined between NTD10,000 (USD334) and NTD50,000 (USD1,667).