New bill to control sale of
tobacco on island
September 1998
Bill 535,
also known as "Tobacco Control Act of 1998" is sponsored by Sen. Vicente
Pangelinan, D-Barrigada, and Sen. Judith Won Pat, D-Inarajan, and aims at controling the
sale of tobacco on Guam.
It would impose penalties for the sale of tobacco without a
license, with repeated violations resulting in heavier fines and in the ineligibility to
apply for a license for 5 years.Sale of tobacco products to minors is also targeted, with
stiff penalties and license revocation to offenders.
Teenager smoking is a real problem nationwide, as every day,
6000 teenagers try a cigarette for the first time. Under the present law, fees and
penalties collected would be used to fund island youth education programs.
