The Mt. Vernon City Council finds cigarette smoking and other tobacco use by minors a grave public health problem. Therefore, the purpose of this Article is to implement a strict and enforceable system to prevent the illegal sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to minors.
(A) Findings:
(1) Cigarette smoking is dangerous to human health;
(2) There exists substantial scientific evidence that the use of tobacco products causes cancer, heart disease, and various other medical disorders;
(3) The Surgeon General of the United States has declared that nicotine addiction from tobacco is similar to addiction to cocaine and is the most widespread example of drug dependence in this country;
(4) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that among persons who have ever tried a cigarette, more than eighty (80) percent reported having had their first cigarette before age eighteen (18); and
(5) The National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that cigarette smoking precedes and may be predictive of adolescent illicit drug use.
(B) The enactment of this Article intends to further the health, welfare and safety of the residents of the City of Mt. Vernon, Jefferson County, Illinois, particularly those residents under eighteen (18) years of age.
(Prior Code, Art. 30, § 1)