Regions Launch Campaign to Protect Minors From Tobacco and Vaping Harm

According to information from the National Tobacco Monopoly Administration, 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 tobacco (including electronic cigarettes) harm, and to legally safeguard and maintain the physical health and legal rights of minors, the National Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation have decided to jointly carry out the "Guarding Growth" special action to protect minors from tobacco harm, and have released the "Special Action Plan for Protecting Minors from Tobacco Harm: Guarding Growth," which outlines the overall requirements, main tasks, time schedule, and work requirements for the special action, and sets forth clear requirements.

The main tasks of the special action include: clarifying and standardizing 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 electronic cigarette business activities, continuously strengthening control over internet channels, and guiding physical electronic cigarette stores to operate legally and规范化.

The special action will start on June 15, 2021, and end on September 14, 2021, lasting three months, specifically divided into three phases: publicity and mobilization, concentrated rectification, and summary improvement. The special action plan clearly states the need to "strengthen organizational leadership," "reinforce comprehensive governance," and "ensure effective publicity and guidance."

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

The Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Fucheng and Youxian District in Mianyang City resolutely implements the decisions and deployments of higher authorities, increases the intensity of investigating tobacco-related illegal activities, emphasizes prevention as the main focus, and organizes the "Guarding Growth" special action.
  Law enforcement personnel promote and interpret regulations to electronic cigarette shops

Thorough cleaning and investigation: A comprehensive cleanup of existing tobacco sales around campuses, especially those selling electronic cigarettes, has been conducted. A total of 44 electronic cigarette shops were identified, and their operators, franchise methods, and main consumer groups were registered and established in a ledger.

Publicity and education: Law enforcement personnel have vigorously promoted relevant legal knowledge 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 electronic cigarette shops.

Supervision and management: Continuous strengthening of electronic cigarette market supervision, fully grasping the latest trends, and publicly announcing complaint hotlines to address violations in a timely manner, ensuring the physical and mental health of minors.

The Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Zhejiang Province and the Zhejiang Provincial Market Supervision Administration 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, and the requirements of laws and regulations, 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 the legal promotion of tobacco (including electronic cigarettes) sales points, urging the comprehensive setting of warning signs; ensuring prevention and protection are in place, strictly enforcing distance standards around primary and secondary schools and kindergartens (hereinafter referred to as "campus surroundings"), implementing registration and cleanup of tobacco sales points; ensuring strict investigation and regulation of illegal sales of tobacco to minors, continuously strengthening internet monitoring, increasing the crackdown on illegal activities, and effectively protecting 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 regulations for warning sign settings and ID verification; effectively strengthen daily supervision of the tobacco market; legally investigate and deal with illegal sales of tobacco to minors.

Third, continuously strengthen electronic cigarette market supervision. Strictly regulate electronic cigarette production and business activities; continuously strengthen control over internet channels; guide physical electronic cigarette stores to operate legally and规范化.

The "Plan" requires all units to strengthen organizational leadership, reinforce comprehensive governance, and ensure effective publicity and guidance to ensure the special action achieves results.

The People's Procuratorate of Quanzhou City and the Quanzhou Tobacco Monopoly Bureau have decided to jointly carry out a six-month "Joint Care to Guard Growth" special activity to protect minors from electronic cigarette harm throughout the city (including counties, districts, and cities), and held a launch ceremony for the special activity on June 24, 2021. #p#分页标题#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 slide, and an animated promotional video, read the "Advocacy for Protecting Minors from Electronic Cigarette Harm," and signed the "Co-construction Agreement for Branches." Additionally, representatives of cigarette retailers also signed the "Commitment to Standardized Operation for Cigarette Retailers."
 
Signing the "Commitment to Standardized Operation for Cigarette Retailers"
The two levels of procuratorates and the tobacco monopoly bureau in Quanzhou City are carrying out the "Joint Care to Guard Growth" special activity to protect minors from electronic cigarette harm, which will create a multi-dimensional collaborative mechanism for prevention, supervision, and crackdown on electronic cigarette issues involving minors, jointly creating a safe and healthy growth environment for minors and promoting improvements in social governance for minors.

Based on the phased goals, tasks will be refined and decomposed, and preparations for the implementation of each phase will be made, focusing on the content 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.