Q What can be done to stop the sale of cigarettes to minors?
I started smoking before I was 18. None of the letters to your column on this subject properly deal with policing the existing laws. All tobacco retailers should be licensed - it's that simple. Furthermore, it should be illegal for newspaper vendors and hawkers to sell tobacco products without a licence.
Even better, the government should monopolise the retailing of tobacco. Yes: only allow tobacco to be sold through outlets which it runs itself. Failing that, it should privatise this monopoly via tender - in the interests of tax revenue protection.
J.R. Paine, Chai Wan
A two-tier approach should be adopted by schools and parents to stop cigarettes being sold to minors. On the education front, more resources, both in funding and manpower, should be allocated to teenage students. They should be educated about how hazardous smoking is to their health. Good health is a gateway to success.
Also they should be cultivating the right attitude towards lives. At home, parents should pay extra attention to their children by arranging more family activities. There is no excuse for being too busy for your children.