Nanchang Inspects 52 Brick-and-Mortar Vape Shops

Since May 11, when the Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, the Municipal Education Bureau, and the Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau jointly launched a special inspection of the e-cigarette market, a total of 154 law enforcement personnel have been dispatched to inspect 52 brick-and-mortar vape shops, advising one shop to remove e-cigarettes and ordering one shop to suspend operations for rectification.

In addition, the Municipal Education Bureau, in conjunction with the Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, conducted supervision and inspection of e-cigarette sales in areas around schools with a concentration of minors, checking whether physical stores implemented explicit commitments and took effective age verification measures to prevent minors from purchasing.

According to the special inspection action plan for the e-cigarette market, May 12-17 was designated as the publicity and investigation phase. On the afternoon of May 17, law enforcement personnel from the Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, the Municipal Education Bureau, and the Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau conducted special inspections of the e-cigarette market in areas around primary and secondary schools and youth centers.

The first stop of the inspection was the Magic E-cigarette (Baihuazhou Store), located near the Nanchang Youth Palace and Nanchang No. 3 Middle School (Mingde Road Campus), which are areas with a concentration of minors. During the inspection, law enforcement personnel found that the store could not provide a business license. In response, they ordered the store to suspend operations on the spot.

Currently, the Magic E-cigarette (Baihuazhou Store) has been closed, but the person in charge could not be contacted, and the Donghu District Market Supervision Bureau has intervened in the investigation.

The second stop was the AUV E-cigarette Experience Store (Qinghu Happy Street Store), located near Nanchang No. 3 Middle School (Qingshan Lake Campus). Law enforcement personnel found that there were no prominent warning signs stating "prohibited from selling e-cigarettes to minors" in the store. In response, they ordered the store to rectify and place or post warning signs in prominent locations to protect the physical and mental health of minors.

According to reports, in the subsequent implementation phase, the three departments will conduct undercover investigations based on the results of the preliminary investigation, collect evidence for any discovered issues, and impose strict penalties; typical cases will be exposed in a timely manner to deter others.

It is understood that during the two-month special inspection of the e-cigarette market, the Municipal Market Supervision Bureau will work with the tobacco monopoly department to interview non-compliant e-cigarette companies and internet platforms, promote relevant laws and regulations, and the requirements of the two departments' announcements; they will legally regulate and investigate false advertising for e-cigarettes, as well as the sale of e-cigarettes to minors by companies and physical stores; they will also regulate and investigate physical stores that do not post warning signs stating "prohibited from selling e-cigarettes to minors," do not meet explicit commitment requirements, and do not have effective age verification measures; and comprehensively clean up e-cigarette vending machines around primary and secondary schools and youth centers, investigating behaviors that entice minors to purchase e-cigarettes through sponsorship and naming promotions.

This article is sourced from: Nanchang News Network