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Tag: schools

  • Guam Police Required for School Smoking Incidents

    Guam Police Required for School Smoking Incidents

    Police in Guam will now respond to incidents involving students vaping or using tobacco products on public school campuses following a policy update by the Guam Department of Education (GDOE). Under revised Student Discipline SOP 1200-018, nicotine violations are now classified as behaviors requiring mandatory contact with the Guam Police Department (GPD).

    Under the new procedure, GPD officers will confiscate tobacco or vaping devices, document the incident, issue a notice to appear before the Juvenile Section, and forward cases to the Office of the Attorney General. The policy takes effect immediately after school administrators confirm a violation and notify a student’s parent or guardian, at which point GDOE will initiate a call for police service.

    GDOE said the change follows a rise in vaping and nicotine violations on campuses and guidance from GPD leadership, citing the need to enforce the Youth Protection Act of 2017.

  • Bangladesh Schools Surrounded by Tobacco Outlets

    Bangladesh Schools Surrounded by Tobacco Outlets

    A new study by the Power and Participation Research Centre found that each school in Bangladesh is surrounded by an average of 5.5 tobacco-selling outlets within 100 meters, making cigarettes highly accessible to youth, according to New Age. The research, covering 121 schools in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, and Khulna, identified 666 points of sale, with most selling single cigarette sticks.

    The study showed that 71% of outlets openly displayed cigarettes, often positioned at children’s eye level, while 66% placed tobacco products alongside chocolates, toys, and sweets. It also found that 68% of retail points used visible advertising such as dummy packs and posters, and 84% sold flavored cigarettes.

  • St. Louis: Veto Overturned in Tobacco Sale Flap

    St. Louis: Veto Overturned in Tobacco Sale Flap

    Some tobacco sales can continue near schools in St. Louis (Missouri) County after the county council overrode a veto from County Executive Sam Page. The issue goes back to a 2019 ordinance that banned new tobacco licenses in the county from stores within 1,000 feet of a school. Existing stores that sold tobacco were exempt from the ordinance, but if the owner sold the business, the new owner would be barred from getting a new license.

    The goal was to phase out all tobacco sales near schools but the county council overturned the law in 2023, allowing businesses to pass on the tobacco licenses to new owners. Page vetoed that move by the county council but now the council overrode the veto.

    Councilwoman Shalonda Webb says the move by the council allows existing tobacco licenses to be transferred to new owners when a store near a school is sold but it does not allow new licenses to be issued to different businesses. The St. Louis County Health Department has defended a total ban of tobacco products near schools but companies argue a total ban is unfair because they say businesses without a tobacco license are less valuable.