Changxing, Huzhou Busts Zhejiang's First Case of Selling Vapes to Minors

Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health. In recent years, under the careful packaging and enticing advertisements from businesses, a large number of young people, even minors, have started to “play” with e-cigarettes. Recently, the Market Supervision Bureau of Changxing County in Huzhou investigated and handled the province's first case of selling e-cigarettes to minors based on the newly revised Minor Protection Law.

On June 17 of this year, the Market Supervision Bureau received a tip-off that a certain e-cigarette specialty store in Changxing was selling e-cigarettes to middle school students. Subsequently, law enforcement officers from our bureau went to the store for verification and conducted an investigation in conjunction with the county tobacco bureau. After questioning the store owner, sales staff, and the students who purchased e-cigarettes, and reviewing the store's video surveillance and cash register records, it was found that the e-cigarette specialty store had failed to fulfill its verification obligations since June 2021, illegally selling e-cigarette pods to two middle school students from a local school. The actions of the parties involved are suspected of violating the relevant provisions of the Minor Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Market Supervision Bureau of Changxing County has filed a case for investigation.

In recent years, more and more e-cigarette companies have targeted young people as their customers, taking advantage of their curiosity and lack of clear understanding of products like e-cigarettes. In many cases, they view vaping as a “fashionable, cool, and competitive” behavior. Some businesses, in order to attract more young people and enhance the appeal of their products to teenagers, indiscriminately add various additives, changing the flavors and colors of e-cigarettes, which can seriously harm the physical and mental health of minors and create adverse social impacts.

The newly revised Minor Protection Law officially came into effect on June 1, 2021. This law includes regulations prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors (Article 59), which also encompasses the regulation of e-cigarettes. This is the first time a national law has explicitly prohibited the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. On June 18 of this year, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration jointly issued the "Special Action Plan for Protecting Minors from Tobacco Harm - 'Guarding Growth'". The plan emphasizes increasing the crackdown on illegal tobacco-related activities, focusing on prevention, treatment, and comprehensive governance to effectively protect the healthy growth of minors.

To curb the spread of e-cigarettes among minors, the Changxing County Market Supervision Bureau, in conjunction with tobacco management departments, has comprehensively rectified the e-cigarette market, emphasizing strengthened joint law enforcement and continuously increasing supervision of e-cigarette products, especially around schools and areas where minors gather. They are legally increasing inspections of e-cigarette retail stores, strictly investigating the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and the publication of false illegal e-cigarette advertisements, and thoroughly checking that e-cigarette retail stores comply with explicit commitment requirements, implementing effective age verification measures to prevent minors from purchasing e-cigarettes, thereby effectively protecting minors from e-cigarette harm.

Tip:

Currently, various e-cigarette products available in the domestic market have significant variability in terms of raw material selection, additive use, process design, and quality control. The quality of e-cigarette products is uneven, and some products may have safety hazards such as e-liquid leakage, poor-quality batteries, and added ingredients. Additionally, most e-cigarettes contain purified nicotine, which is a highly toxic chemical. Minors' respiratory systems are not fully developed, and inhaling such substances can adversely affect lung function and may lead to nicotine poisoning and other safety risks.