The health unit that serves Northumberland County has launched a new effort in its fight against under-age smoking.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is encouraging local residents to report the illegal sale or supply of tobacco products to underage teenagers.
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act makes it illegal for anyone to sell or supply tobacco products to those under the age of 19 years in Ontario.
Last year, the Electronic Cigarette Act also came into effect, prohibiting the sale or supply of e-cigarettes under the same conditions.
The health unit is responsible for enforcing these laws.
Tobacco Control Officer Wayne Jordan says, “Tobacco is a highly-addictive product, so the law is in place to protect the health of young people by ensuring that underage teenagers do not have ready access to it. We encourage people to help ensure deadly tobacco products do not end up in the hands of minors by calling us if they know of cases where this is happening.”
Jordan says if anyone sees or knows of these situations, they can call the Health Unit toll-free at 1-866-888-4577, ext. 1289 or ext. 3226. People who report these situations to the Health Unit can do so on an anonymous basis.
