NO MORE ORDINANCES ON CIGARETTE SALES TO MINORS

Teen-age smoking is not an easy nut to crack.

Missouri law makes it illegal for businesses to sell cigarettes to individuals 17 years old or younger. The state and the city have cracked down on stores that sell to minors.

But still youngsters can be seen smoking throughout the town. Unlike alcohol, possession of cigarettes by a minor is not illegal -- only the sale.

The Cape Girardeau City Council recently took a closer look at cigarette vending machines. But the council wisely decided to leave matters as they stand.

It is already illegal for a minor to buy cigarettes from a vending machines. Ordinances on the books only allow the vending machines in areas of factories, businesses, offices or other places that aren't open to the public. The only exception are public places where access is denied to 18-year-olds, such as bars.

The city already has enough regulations prohibiting cigarette sales to minors. That is not the problem.

Outlawing possession of cigarettes -- a possibility discussed in the city early last year -- wouldn't help either. It would only make criminals out of teen-agers and put an undue burden on police officers.

Eventually, education efforts coupled with the price of cigarettes may put a damper on cigarette use by young people. But the real oversight begins at home. It is the parents' -- not the city's -- responsibility to make sure young people don't possess cigarettes. And that's the way it should remain until the city, state or Congress makes smoking a crime.