Gansu Issues a Fine for Selling E-Cigarettes to Minors

On July 7, the Qilihe District Tobacco Monopoly Bureau issued a fine for selling e-cigarettes to minors. On the evening of July 2, at 7:30 PM, the Qilihe District Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, based on information received, collaborated with the District Market Supervision Administration to investigate a case of illegal sale of e-cigarettes to minors at a night market stall located at 108 Dunhuang Road, Qilihe District. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors," the business was fined 500 yuan and had 5 yuan of illegal gains confiscated.

Wang Peng, deputy director of the Qilihe District Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, stated that currently, some middle and primary school students and minors are consuming e-cigarettes out of "curiosity" or in pursuit of "trends," and since minors' bodies are not fully developed, consuming e-cigarettes can cause serious harm to their physical and mental health.

It was reported that the newly revised "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors," effective June 1 of this year, includes provisions to protect minors from the harms of tobacco, ensuring the health and legal rights of minors. Following the deployment of the National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau and the National Market Supervision Administration, as well as arrangements from provincial and municipal tobacco monopoly bureaus and market supervision administrations, the Qilihe District Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, in collaboration with the District People's Procuratorate's Juvenile Work Department and the District Market Supervision Administration, actively implemented regulatory responsibilities. They conducted investigations, registrations, and record-keeping of e-cigarette vendors in the district and jointly launched a campaign themed "Keeping Youth Away from Traditional Tobacco Products and E-Cigarettes—Protecting a Smoke-Free Youth and Nurturing the Future of Our Country." The Qilihe District Tobacco Monopoly Bureau issued the first fine in the province for selling e-cigarettes to minors, marking a significant step in protecting a "Smoke-Free Youth" in the province.

The Qilihe District Tobacco Monopoly Bureau will take the newly revised "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors" as an opportunity to continuously strengthen publicity efforts, enhance supervision and inspection, and strictly fulfill their responsibilities to safeguard the healthy growth of minors. They also call on all sectors of society to actively supervise and report illegal activities related to the sale of cigarettes and e-cigarettes to minors, working together to protect the healthy growth of minors.