Regions Launch "Protect Growth" 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 the harm of tobacco (including e-cigarettes), 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 a special action to protect minors from tobacco harm called "Protect Growth," and have released the "Special Action Plan for Protecting Minors from Tobacco Harm: 'Protect Growth'". This plan 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, effectively 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 control over internet channels, 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 period of three months, specifically divided into three phases: mobilization and promotion, concentrated rectification, and summary improvement. The action plan clearly states the need to "strengthen organizational leadership," "enhance 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, increases the intensity of investigating tobacco-related illegal activities, emphasizes prevention as the primary focus, and organizes the "Protect Growth" special action.
  Law enforcement personnel promote and interpret regulations to e-cigarette shops

Thorough cleanup and investigation: A comprehensive cleanup of existing tobacco sales around campuses, especially those selling e-cigarettes. After investigation, a total of 44 e-cigarette shops were identified, and their operators, franchise methods, and main consumer groups were registered, establishing a complete ledger.

Education and publicity in place: Strongly promoting 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 e-cigarette shops.

Supervision and management in place: Continuously strengthening market supervision of e-cigarettes, fully grasping the latest developments, and publicly announcing reporting and complaint hotlines to promptly rectify violations, 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: 'Protect Growth'" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"). The special action lasts for three months and is divided into three phases: mobilization and promotion, 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, increase the intensity of investigating tobacco-related illegal activities, focus more on prevention, treatment, and comprehensive governance, ensure effective publicity and guidance regarding tobacco sales (including e-cigarettes), and urge the comprehensive setting of warning signs; ensure adequate preventive protection, strictly enforce distance standards around primary and secondary schools and kindergartens (hereinafter referred to as "campus surroundings"), implement registration and investigation of tobacco sales points, and accelerate the cleanup of illegal sales points; ensure strict investigation and handling of illegal sales of tobacco to minors, continuously strengthen online monitoring, and increase the crackdown on illegal activities to effectively protect 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 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 regulations for warning sign settings and ID verification; effectively strengthen daily supervision of the tobacco market; legally investigate and handle illegal sales of tobacco to minors.

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

The "Plan" requires all units to strengthen organizational leadership, enhance comprehensive governance, and ensure effective publicity and guidance to ensure the special action achieves practical 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 called "Jointly Caring for and Protecting Growth" to protect minors from the harm of e-cigarettes throughout the city (including counties, districts, and cities), and the launch ceremony for the special activity was 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, and an animated promotional video, and read the "Initiative to Protect Minors from E-cigarette Harm" and signed the "Retailer Compliance Commitment".
 
Signing the "Retailer Compliance Commitment"
The two levels of procuratorates and the tobacco monopoly bureau in Quanzhou City are conducting the "Jointly Caring for and Protecting Growth" special activity to protect minors from the harm of e-cigarettes. This will be achieved through resource sharing and complementary cooperation, forming a multi-dimensional coordination mechanism for prevention, supervision, and crackdown on issues related to minors and e-cigarettes, creating a safe and healthy growth environment for minors, and promoting improvements in social governance concerning 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.