LAW'S PENALTIES GO TOO FAR

No one wants children to smoke, but they do. The statistics are sobering:
In Delaware, we know one in four 11th-graders smokes. The average age when
a child lights that first cigarette is about 12 1/2.

We need to win the war against youth smoking. I call it a war, because as a
policy maker and a physician, I know smoking causes casualties.

So how do we fight against youth smoking? We educate our children about the
dangers of smoking and target prevention campaigns.

But we have another front where action is needed. Too many retailers sell
cigarettes to children. It's wrong, and it's against the law.

In Delaware, one of three young people who try to buy cigarettes will
succeed. That's too many. We have enacted and enforced laws that penalize
retailers that sell to minors. I also have reminded our local judges about
the importance of penalizing stores that sell to children.

There is much work ahead of us, but now we have another problem. The U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services has threatened to take away 40% of
a grant we use to help people with substance-abuse problems because too
many retailers sell cigarettes to children.

That doesn't sound right, does it? States could lose money to treat people
who are battling drug and alcohol addiction because stores sell cigarettes
to children.

As Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy,
said, these penalties are "illogical" and "counterproductive."

Delaware is appealing the potential loss of those funds because we are
working to reduce youth smoking. It isn't sound policy to take away help
from people trying to beat addiction and live productive lives.

Laws are enacted to be enforced. There should be penalties for breaking
them. We will continue to reduce sales to minors. We welcome federal
suggestions on how we can improve. But please don't punish people who need
treatment because of "counterproductive" federal policies.