Think Before You Toke

Khairul (not his real name) is just another Bruneian 15-year-old. Dressed in his school uniform, he appears no different from any other youngster roaming about town after school hours, commonly seen browsing DVD shops, chatting with friends at a bus shelter, or stopping by a café for a snack. In the wrong environment, however, just how much trouble can an ordinary youngster get up to? The Brunei Times decided to borrow him - with his parents' permission of course - for a little experiment. We wanted to find out how easy it would be for a minor to purchase cigarettes, so we dispatched him, still dressed in his school uniform, to 20 shops and restaurants around the Brunei-Muara District which sold cigarettes, and observed the proceedings at a distance. The results from our “undercover” operation were profoundly disturbing. Khairul had no trouble at all when we visited five shops in the heart of the capital, and was sold cigarettes at all of them without question. At one, he was even served by another minor who was helping to tend shop. Cigarette advertisements were also in plain sight. When we moved our operations to a popular shopping area, Khairul met with similar success. Two shopkeepers even willingly posed for a photograph of the item exchanging hands, possibly indicating that they were not aware of it being an offence. They also had cigarette ads displayed outside their establishments. At a few shops located close to three well-known government schools in the capital, Khairul not only managed to purchase a cigarette pack from each of the shops but was even deliberately shortchanged at one shop: where the pack was supposed to cost $3.10, the student ended up paying $3.60. Students were also spotted loitering nearby and smoking unconcernedly, although smoke-free zones were just metres away. Khairul also easily acquired cigarettes at a sizeable cluster of restaurants and supermarkets on the fringe of the capital, in the vicinity of a top government school. When the operation was completed, Khairul had successfully scored cigarettes at all 20 shops, six of which had been restaurants, and not one of the outlets had asked for his age or identity card. Furthermore, though most of the shops had at least complied with government regulations to post bills stating that minors looking to purchase cigarettes will refused, none seemed too bothered about flaunting the rules to land themselves a sale. Their nonchalance towards the sale of cigarettes however, led to countless violations of the 2005 Tobacco Order within the space of one afternoon. Just a week ago, the local Ministry of Health at long last announced the enforcement of the 2005 Tobacco Order. A six-month grace period has been declared beginning August 1, 2007 for cigarette vendors to fall in with the renewed initiative to eradicate the smoking culture. The enforcement aims to reduce access to tobacco by minors, as well as tighten restrictions on smoking in public places, such as government premises and eating establishments. But while the establishment of laws is the most powerful way to spearhead changes in society, the success of the entire movement really depends on how society chooses to react to the issue. Should we continue to allow shopkeepers to turn a blind eye to the sale of cigarettes to teens for a quick profit? Or should we clamp down by imposing additional rules and regulations such as the restriction of the sale of cigarettes in shops that are in close proximity of schools? If society feels strongly enough, then the authorities must act on society’s behalf to protect our youth from the dangers of tobacco and halt its reach into our schools. The Brunei Times