Zhejiang Launches Youth Protection Campaign Against Tobacco Harm

In order to further protect minors from tobacco-related harm, the Zhejiang Tobacco Monopoly Bureau and the Zhejiang Administration for Market Regulation recently jointly formulated the Special Action Plan for “Protecting Growth” to Safeguard Minors from Tobacco Harm (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). The special campaign will last for three months and will be carried out in three stages: publicity and mobilization, focused rectification, and summary and improvement.

The Plan emphasizes the need to resolutely implement the decisions and requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, as well as relevant laws and regulations, and to step up efforts to investigate and punish tobacco-related violations. It places greater emphasis on prevention first, combining prevention and control, and comprehensive governance. This includes ensuring publicity and education are fully in place, strengthening legal outreach to tobacco retail outlets (including e-cigarettes, same below), and urging the comprehensive posting of warning signs; ensuring preventive protection is in place, strictly enforcing distance standards around primary schools, secondary schools, and kindergartens (hereinafter referred to as “areas surrounding campuses”), implementing inspection and registration of tobacco retail outlets, and accelerating the removal of illegal outlets; and ensuring enforcement and supervision are in place by strictly investigating illegal sales of tobacco to minors, continuously strengthening online monitoring, increasing crackdowns on illegal activities, and effectively protecting the healthy development of minors.

The Plan sets out three main tasks. First, earnestly implement the requirement that no tobacco sales outlets may be established in areas surrounding campuses. This includes strictly enforcing campus perimeter distance standards and measurement standards, and clearing existing tobacco retail outlets from surrounding campus areas. Second, strictly investigate and punish illegal sales of tobacco to minors. This includes implementing requirements for warning signs and ID verification, effectively strengthening routine supervision of the tobacco market, and investigating and handling unlawful sales of tobacco to minors in accordance with the law. Third, continue strengthening regulation of the e-cigarette market. This includes comprehensively and strictly regulating the production and business operations of e-cigarettes, continuously strengthening control over internet sales channels, and guiding brick-and-mortar e-cigarette stores to operate legally and in compliance.

The Plan requires all units to strengthen organizational leadership, reinforce comprehensive governance, and improve publicity and guidance to ensure the special campaign achieves real results.