Regions Launch Youth Protection Campaign Against 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 e-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. They have 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, providing clear directives.

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

The special action began on June 15, 2021, and will last until September 14, 2021, for a duration of three months, divided into three phases: mobilization, concentrated rectification, and summary enhancement. The 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 conducting related special activities

The Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Fucheng and Youxian District in Mianyang City firmly implements the decisions and deployments from higher authorities, intensifying the investigation and handling of tobacco-related illegal activities, focusing on prevention as the main approach, and organizing the "Guarding Growth" special action.
  Law enforcement personnel promote and interpret regulations to e-cigarette shops

Thorough inspections have been conducted: a comprehensive cleanup of existing tobacco sales around campuses has been carried out, especially focusing on e-cigarette sales points. A total of 44 e-cigarette shops have been identified, and their operators, franchise methods, and main consumer groups have been registered and established in a ledger.

Publicity and education have been effectively implemented: operators have been vigorously educated about relevant laws and regulations, 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, bus stations, community bulletin boards, and tobacco retail stores and e-cigarette shops.

Supervision and management have been effectively strengthened: continuous enhancement of e-cigarette market supervision has been implemented, keeping abreast of the latest developments, and a reporting hotline has been made public to address violations promptly, ensuring the physical and mental health of minors.

The Zhejiang Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Bureau and the Zhejiang Provincial Market Supervision Administration have 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: mobilization, concentrated rectification, and summary enhancement.

The "Plan" emphasizes the need to firmly implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, as well as the requirements of laws and regulations, intensifying the investigation and handling of tobacco-related illegal activities, focusing more on prevention, treatment, and comprehensive governance, ensuring effective publicity and education, strengthening legal publicity at tobacco sales points (including e-cigarettes), and urging the comprehensive setting of warning signs; ensuring preventive protection, strictly enforcing distance standards around primary and secondary schools and kindergartens, implementing registration and inspection of tobacco sales points, and accelerating the cleanup of illegal sales points; ensuring strict investigation and handling of illegal sales of tobacco to minors, continuously enhancing online monitoring, and intensifying the crackdown on illegal activities to effectively protect the healthy growth of minors.

The "Plan" specifies three main tasks.

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

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

Third, continuously strengthen e-cigarette market supervision. Strictly regulate e-cigarette production and business practices; continuously enhance internet channel control; guide e-cigarette physical stores to operate legally and in compliance.

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 special activity titled "Jointly Caring for and Guarding Growth" to protect minors from e-cigarette harm throughout the city (including counties, districts, and cities), with the launch ceremony for the special activity held 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, and read the "Initiative to Protect Minors from E-Cigarette Harm," signing the "Branch Pairing Co-construction Agreement." Additionally, representatives of cigarette retailers also signed the "Cigarette Retailer Standard Operation Commitment."
 
Signing the "Cigarette Retailer Standard Operation Commitment"
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 e-cigarette harm, aiming to create a safe and healthy growth environment for minors through resource sharing and complementary cooperation, forming a multi-dimensional coordination mechanism for prevention, supervision, and crackdown on e-cigarette issues involving 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.