This should include such promotional efforts as the tobacco industry sponsorship of sporting events where the products or company logo is displayed and there is a distribution of free cigarettes or coupon offers. Hence, young people are becoming addicted to nicotine before they may have acquired the judgement to make a fully informed choice about tobacco use. Laws that ban the sale of tobacco products to minors should require the annual licensing of tobacco vendors and make licenses contingent on demonstrated compliance with the law. Because vending machines are also a source of tobacco products for children, the sale of cigarettes in vending machines should be banned. To protect non-smokers from the documented health hazards of involuntary tobacco smoke, smoking should be banned in all public places, including all forms of public transportation, sports arenas and other public facilities, all work places and all restaurants.
Tobacco products contain nicotine, which has been demonstrated to be a highly addictive drug.
Therefore, the content and packaging of tobacco products should be subject to regulation by appropriate agencies. Tobacco product packages should carry adequate health information about the hazards of tobacco use and the addictive potential of nicotine. Existing warning labels on tobacco products and advertising should be expanded to include a specific warning about addiction to nicotine. Because of the amount and pervasiveness of tobacco advertising, the general population is exposed to powerful and misleading pro-smoking messages. The visibility of public education about tobacco, the addictiveness of nicotine, and the importance and methods of smoking cessation, should be increased.