The III All-Poland Responsible Tobacco Sales Day is underway, the culmination of the twelfth edition of the STOP18! Program. The aim of the action, in which Myszków and nearly 300 other local governments from all over Poland are participating, is to prevent minors from accessing tobacco products. According to the STOP18! Program survey, only 36% of sellers observe the ban on selling cigarettes to persons under eighteen.
During the III All-Poland Responsible Sales Day in Myszków, intensified checks on tobacco sales points are being carried out. Sellers received educational leaflets and signage for sales points. Additionally, the Municipal Guard will conduct training on the principles of trading in tobacco products, and the Education Department in cooperation with the local Scout troop will organize a Mystery Shopper study to determine the level of compliance with the law by (name of the town in the adjective) sellers. In selected junior high schools, educational meetings with parents will be held at a later date to inform them on how to protect their children from smoking. Additionally, all District Police Commands across Poland are participating in the action.
Sellers who violate the ban on selling tobacco products to minors face a fine of 500 to 5,000 PLN. So far, the police have imposed fines for this offense, and the municipal guard could submit a request to the court to punish the seller. The situation changed on September 3 when municipal guards also gained the right to directly issue fines.
The change in regulations will enable effective enforcement of the law – believes the Commander of the Municipal Guard Jarosław Żochowski.
The history of the STOP18! Program shows that education of sellers is an important element of the action. However, education alone may prove insufficient in achieving the goal of significantly improving compliance with the law by sellers. Among the proposed changes to the regulations are the introduction of municipal registers of sales points, sanctions for temporarily revoking permits to trade in tobacco products, the introduction of an obligation to identify young-looking customers, as well as mandatory training for sellers on the principles of trading in tobacco products and techniques of assertive refusal.
Research from the STOP18! Program shows that dishonest sellers and young smokers are a visible problem in every part of the country. We do not intend to remain passive, so by participating in the All-Poland Responsible Sales Day, we want to persuade sellers to comply with the law and pay special attention to young customers asking for tobacco products – said Janusz Romaniuk, Mayor of the City of Myszków.
The STOP18! Program is the largest campaign in Poland to prevent access to tobacco products by minors, operating continuously since 1998. The honorary patronage over the III All-Poland Responsible Sales Day was taken by the Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Interior and Administration Mr. Grzegorz Schetyna.
The STOP18! Responsible Sales Program, running since 1998, is based on a partnership of organizations and companies that undertake joint initiatives to prevent minors from accessing tobacco products. Active participation in this year’s Program includes: the tobacco company Philip Morris Polska, distribution and retail networks Ruch, Kolporter, E.Leclerc, Real, Tesco, Żabka and WSS Społem Praga Południe, PKN Orlen and Shell, non-governmental organizations “U Siemachy” Association, Committee for Children in Poland “KONARD”, Friends of Children Society, Proxy of the Management Board of the Małopolskie Voivodeship for Prevention and Counteracting Addictions. The principles of the Program are promoted by the trade associations Naczelna Rada Zrzeszeń Handlu i Usług, Polska Izba Handlu, Unia Polskich Sieci Detalicznych. The STOP18! Program is supported by the Ministry of Interior and Administration, General Police Headquarters, National Council of Municipal and Communal Guard Commanders, and the Polish Scouting Association.
Information about the Responsible Sales Program, including educational materials, can be found on the website www.stop18.pl.
Additional information is provided by the STOP18! Program Coordinators:
Krystyna Jasińska tel. (034) 3132682 ext 154 krystyna.jasinska@miastomyszkow.pl
Michał Pełczyński, tel. (22) 210 12 88 or 0 691 745 292, e-mail: biuroprasowe@stop18.pl