This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Enforcing law on solvent sales
15/03/2005
A campaign to raise awareness among shop workers of the
law around the sale of butane gas lighter refills and other
solvents to children is being rolled out across
Scotland.
The national Volatile Substance Abuse (VSA)
campaign builds on the success of an earlier
awareness-raising campaign in Fife and follows the Lord
Advocate's decision last month to revise prosecution policy
to allow test purchasing of age-restricted goods by
children and young people under the age of 18.
At a newsagent's in Joppa, Edinburgh, Deputy Justice
Minister Hugh Henry said:
"The Executive is committed to tackling the ongoing
problem of solvent abuse in Scotland and increasing
awareness of the problem. Although the number of deaths
each year has remained relatively steady, even one death is
one too many.
"It is vital to raise public awareness of the dangers of
abusing products such as cigarette lighter refills, aerosol
sprays and glue. We must persuade youngsters, who may not
fully appreciate the risks involved, that there is no safe
way to sniff or inhale volatile substances. There are no
safe kicks with solvents. But we must also crack down on
the supply of these products to young people.
"That is why this awareness campaign is so important.
Aiming the campaign at shop owners should not be seen as
implicit criticism of the retail trade - the vast majority
of shop staff act responsibly and within the law when it
comes to selling age-restricted goods.
"However there is anecdotal evidence of genuine
ignorance of the legislation which makes it an offence to
sell butane gas lighter refills to under 18s. This campaign
aims to change that and stop volatile substances from
getting into the hands of our young people.
"An independent evaluation of the earlier campaign in
Fife showed that awareness of the age restrictions was
higher among retailers who had received the campaign
materials. The leaflets, posters and window stickers that
made such an impact in Fife will now be distributed to
retailers right across Scotland.
"I am pleased that local authorities, together with the
support of ReSolv and the Scottish Drugs Forum, are working
with the Executive to to heighten awareness of this problem
and deliver a stronger, safer Scotland."
The materials have been developed by the Executive under
the 'Know the Score' campaign, in partnership with key
organisations which include ReSolv, the Scottish Retail
Consortium and the Scottish Drugs Forum.
The Executive is supporting the production of a Retailer
Awareness and Training Pack for PASS, the new Proof of Age
Standards Scheme.
The pack, which is being put together by the Scottish
Retail Consortium and Young Scot, will be widely
distributed within the next few weeks. The pack will
include an information booklet for retailers on the sale of
age-restricted goods.
The most commonly abused volatile substances are butane
gas, which is found in cigarette lighter refills or aerosol
sprays, and solvents which are used in a variety of
products to keep the ingredients in a liquefied state. It
is against the law to sell butane gas lighter refills to
anyone under the age of 18.
The number of deaths in Scotland associated with
volatile substance abuse has been averaging around eight or
nine a year for the last few years. Butane gas was
implicated in five of the eight deaths associated with
volatile substance abuse in Scotland in 2002, the most
recent year for which figures are available.