§ 11-9-13.3 - Legislative intent – Purpose. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 11-9-13.3

   § 11-9-13.3  Legislative intent –Purpose. – The use of tobacco by Rhode Island children is a health and substance abuseproblem of the utmost severity. The legislature finds that tobacco productusage by children in Rhode Island is rampant and increasing with over thirtypercent (30%) of high school students smoking. The present law prohibiting thesale of tobacco to children is being ignored by many retailers. Rhode Islandtobacco retailers illegally sell four million eight hundred thousand(4,800,000) packs, over eleven million dollars ($11,000,000) in tobacco productsales, to children annually. Tobacco industry advertising targets children asthe replacement smokers for the one thousand one hundred forty-five (1,145)adults who die daily from tobacco product usage. Approximately seventy percent(70%) of the Rhode Island high school seniors who are smoking today will be theaddicted adult smokers of tomorrow. According to the federal Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking-related direct medical costs inRhode Island in 1990 climbed to one hundred eighty-six million dollars($186,000,000). This is an ongoing, escalating financial burden borne by everybusiness, large and small, and every person, smoker and nonsmoker, in RhodeIsland. This is a health and economic drain created by each new generation ofchildren who begin using tobacco products and become addicted to nicotine. Itis the intent of this legislation to preserve and protect the health ofchildren by: (1) stopping the illegal sale of tobacco to children, and (2) byseverely punishing those who disregard the laws relating to the illegal sale oftobacco products to children.