Shenzhen Launches Unified Enforcement to Protect Minors from Tobacco

To implement the newly revised "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors" provisions on protecting minors from tobacco (including e-cigarettes, hereinafter the same), and to safeguard minors' physical health and lawful rights and interests in accordance with the law, Shenzhen Market Regulation Bureau, together with the city tobacco monopoly department, organized a citywide unified enforcement action to protect minors from tobacco exposure.

On the morning of July 8, Hong Juan, member of the Party Leadership Group of the Shenzhen Market Regulation Bureau and director of the Municipal Market Enforcement Bureau, served as commander-in-chief to deploy the unified enforcement action. Deputy commander-in-chief and deputy director of the Shenzhen Municipal Market Enforcement Bureau, Li Chaoqi, led the bureau's anti-gang office to take part in the deployment of this unified operation.

That morning, under the command of the Market Enforcement Division of the Shenzhen Municipal Market Enforcement Bureau and the Futian District Bureau, enforcement officers, together with the Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, inspected convenience stores around Gangxia Primary School for illegal sales of tobacco (including e-cigarettes) and alcohol. On-site checks found that One Convenience Store and Tianfu Convenience Store, located 17.3 meters and 32 meters from Gangxia Primary School respectively, were selling tobacco and alcohol, suspected of violating the relevant provisions of the Law on the Protection of Minors and the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Smoking Control Regulations. Enforcement officers immediately ordered the merchants to remove all tobacco and alcohol products from the shelves and opened cases for investigation and handling.

This unified operation was organized and deployed by the Shenzhen Municipal Market Enforcement Bureau and carried out simultaneously across 11 district-level bureaus in the city. On the day of the operation, 56 leads were followed up and inspected to completion, and 25 cases were filed.

Next, the Shenzhen Municipal Market Enforcement Bureau will continue to strictly investigate and punish illegal sales of tobacco to minors in accordance with the law, strengthen online monitoring, and intensify efforts against illegal activities; it will also continue clearing out existing tobacco sales outlets around schools and remove vending machines that sell tobacco products.

To protect the healthy growth of minors, the Shenzhen Market Regulation Bureau calls on all merchants to comply with legal requirements and honor their commitment not to sell e-cigarettes to minors.