Saba’s Island Council voted to pass legislation restricting tobacco products on Dutch Caribbean islands.
The legislation, which takes effect on September 1st, 2023, governs three aspects of the sale of tobacco and tobacco-related items.
Selling vapes/e-cigarettes to minors under the age of 18 will be prohibited.
Retailers will be compelled to ask for identification from anyone who appears to be under the age of 25, and they will be forbidden from selling e-flavored liquids to anyone.
The actions taken, according to Jane O’Flynn, Head of Public Health, are a positive step in protecting the health of Saba’s youth.
“Smoking, particularly vaping, among young people on Saba has increased in recent years, more than doubling since 2017.” We received signals of worry from the school and parents. We listened to those concerns and crafted this policy because we believe mechanisms should be in place to help Saba residents live a healthy lifestyle,” he said. “We hope that this ordinance is a good first step toward reducing smoking on Saba, especially among our youth, because all Sabans have the right to live a long, healthy, and fulfilling life.”
Devi van Groningen, legal advisor to the Public Entity Saba, noted that “whereas tobacco sales, including electronic smoking devices, are prohibited to be sold to minors in the European part of the Netherlands; such regulations were not in place on Saba.”
“While tobacco protection is a topic that the national government regulates, we could not wait for the national government to step in and ensure that minors on Saba have the same protection from the sale of tobacco and vapes as minors in the European part of the country.”
