With smoking rules increasing with age, smoke-free campus needs to be strengthened, remarked by Taichung City Mayor Chih-Chiang Hu (胡志強).

Taichung City Mayor Hu together with convenience stores owners and school officials signed a memorandum to pledge their commitment to prevent the tobacco access for youth under 18. They crushed smoking props with paper gloves printed with no-smoking signs, in gesture of a joint effort to promote smoke-free environment, in a press conference held at the city government by the Health Bureau in Taichung City, Taiwan.

According to the 2011 Global Youth Tobacco Survey by Bureau of Health Promotion, smoking rates for middle school students (7th to 9th graders) in Taichung City and Taiwan were 5.1% and 7.3%, while 12.9% and 14.7% for high school students (10th to 12th graders), the Health Bureau pointed out. These figures meant that older age is associated with higher smoking rate.

Taiwan’s major convenience stores owners from 7-11, Hi-Life, OK, Family, Matsusei, Civil Mart and Taiwan Fresh Supermarket, a total of 636 stores, have reiterated their commitment to deny youth( under 18) access by requiring ID for cigarette purchases. Such procedure has been included in the new employee training program.

“Campaigns like this should be conducted to foster smoke-free campus environment,” said Mayor Chih-Chiang Hu.

As of September, the Health Bureau revealed, there were 14 cases of violation of selling tobacco to minors ticketed and fined between NTD10,000 (USD342) and NTD50,000 (USD1,709) under the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in Taiwan.