Mandatory Tobacco Treatment (H 7606, S 2413)

While tobacco use among teenagers is by no means to be encouraged, legislation passed by the General Assembly mandating participation in a tobacco treatment program for any minor caught using or possessing tobacco products brought opposition from the ACLU and health groups, including anti-smoking advocacy groups.  Mandatory programs generally prove ineffective at combatting tobacco use, and requiring such programs adds another level of involvement for minors with the family court system for youth who have participated in an unhealthy but otherwise harmless transgression.