Regions Launch Campaign to Protect Minors from Tobacco and Vapes

According to information from the National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, in order to implement the newly revised "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors" regarding the protection of minors from the harm of tobacco (including e-cigarettes), and to legally safeguard and protect the physical health and legal rights of minors, the National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau and the State Administration for Market Regulation have decided to jointly carry out a special action to protect minors from tobacco harm called "Guarding Growth". They have also released the "Special Action Plan for Protecting Minors from Tobacco Harm: 'Guarding Growth'", which outlines the overall requirements, main tasks, timeline, and work requirements for the special action.

　　The main tasks of the special action include: clarifying the distance standards and measurement standards around campuses, cleaning up existing tobacco sales points around campuses, implementing warning sign settings and ID verification regulations, effectively strengthening daily supervision of the tobacco market, legally investigating and dealing with illegal sales of tobacco to minors, strictly regulating e-cigarette business practices, continuously strengthening control over internet channels, and guiding e-cigarette physical stores to operate legally and规范.

　　The special action will start on June 15, 2021, and end on September 14, 2021, lasting for three months, divided into three phases: publicity and mobilization, concentrated rectification, and summary improvement. The special action plan clearly states the need to "strengthen organizational leadership", "enhance comprehensive governance", and "carry out publicity and guidance" among other work requirements.

Relevant departments in various regions are orderly carrying out related special activities

The Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Fucheng and Youxian District in Mianyang City firmly implements the decisions and deployments of higher authorities, increases the intensity of investigating tobacco-related illegal activities, emphasizes prevention as the main focus, and has organized the "Guarding Growth" special action.

  Law enforcement personnel promote and interpret regulations to e-cigarette shops
They have thoroughly cleaned up and grasped the existing tobacco sales points around campuses, especially those selling e-cigarettes. After investigation, a total of 44 e-cigarette shops were identified, and their operators, franchise methods, and main consumer groups were registered, establishing a complete ledger.

Education and publicity are in place: Strongly promote relevant laws and regulations to operators, strictly prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors. So far, a total of 86 law enforcement personnel have been dispatched, and notices and warning slogans have been reposted around kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, stations, community bulletin boards, cigarette retail stores, and e-cigarette shops.

Supervision and management are in place: Continuously strengthen supervision of the e-cigarette market, fully grasp the latest trends, and publicly announce complaint hotlines to promptly rectify violations of sales practices, ensuring the physical and mental health of minors.

The Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Zhejiang Province and the Zhejiang Provincial Administration for Market Regulation jointly formulated the "Special Action Plan for Protecting Minors from Tobacco Harm: 'Guarding Growth'" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"). The special action lasts for three months and is divided into three phases: publicity and mobilization, concentrated rectification, and summary improvement.

The "Plan" emphasizes the need to firmly implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, increase the intensity of investigating tobacco-related illegal activities, pay more attention to prevention as the main focus, and comprehensive governance, ensuring that publicity and education are in place, strengthening legal publicity at tobacco sales points (including e-cigarettes), and urging the comprehensive setting of warning signs; ensuring that prevention and protection measures are in place, strictly enforcing distance standards around primary and secondary schools and kindergartens (hereinafter referred to as "around campuses"), implementing registration and investigation of tobacco sales points, and accelerating the cleanup of illegal sales points; ensuring that investigation and supervision are in place, strictly investigating illegal sales of tobacco to minors, continuously strengthening online monitoring, and increasing the intensity of cracking down on illegal activities to effectively protect the healthy growth of minors.

The "Plan" specifies three main tasks.

First, earnestly implement the requirement that no sales points should be set up around campuses. Strictly enforce distance standards and measurement standards around campuses; clean up existing tobacco sales points around campuses.

Second, strictly investigate illegal sales of tobacco to minors. Implement warning sign settings and ID verification regulations; effectively strengthen daily supervision of the tobacco market; legally investigate illegal sales of tobacco to minors.

Third, continuously strengthen supervision of the e-cigarette market. Strictly regulate the production and operation of e-cigarettes; continuously strengthen control over internet channels; guide e-cigarette physical stores to operate legally and规范.

The "Plan" requires all units to strengthen organizational leadership, enhance comprehensive governance, and carry out publicity and guidance to ensure the effectiveness of the special action.

The People's Procuratorate of Quanzhou City and the Quanzhou Tobacco Monopoly Bureau decided to jointly carry out a six-month special activity called "Jointly Caring for and Guarding Growth" to protect minors from the harm of e-cigarettes throughout the city (including counties, districts, and cities), and held a launch ceremony for the special activity on June 24, 2021. #p# Page Title #e#
 
At the event, the two units jointly released five supporting materials for the special activity, including a unified logo, a set of promotional posters, a brochure, a presentation, and an animated promotional video, read the "Initiative to Protect Minors from the Harm of E-cigarettes", and signed the "Agreement for Joint Construction of Party Branches". In addition, representatives of cigarette retailers also signed the "Commitment to Regulate Operations for Cigarette Retailers".

 
Signing the "Commitment to Regulate Operations for Cigarette Retailers"
The two levels of procuratorates and the tobacco monopoly bureau in Quanzhou City are carrying out the "Jointly Caring for and Guarding Growth" special activity to protect minors from the harm of e-cigarettes, which will create a multi-dimensional coordination mechanism for prevention, supervision, and crackdown on e-cigarette-related issues involving minors, jointly creating a safe and healthy growth environment for minors and promoting the improvement of social governance for minors.

According to the phased goals, tasks will be refined and decomposed, and preparations for the implementation of each phase will be made, focusing on the content of each unit's work as determined by the plan, highlighting key points, distinguishing priorities, and concentrating on carrying out special work tasks to achieve good results in the special activity.