Many Regions Launch Special 'Protecting Growth' Campaigns to Shield Minors from Tobacco and E-Cigare

According to the National Tobacco Monopoly Administration, 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), 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 special action "Guarding Growth" to protect minors from tobacco harm, and have released the "Action Plan for Protecting Minors from Tobacco Harm - 'Guarding Growth' Special Action Plan," 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 the distance standards 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 enhancing control over internet channels, and guiding e-cigarette physical stores to operate legally and in compliance.

The special action started on June 15, 2021, and will last until September 14, 2021, spanning three months, divided into three phases: publicity and 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 carrying out related special activities<\/strong>

The Tobacco Monopoly Bureau of Fucheng and Youxian District in Mianyang City resolutely implements the decisions and deployments of higher authorities, intensifying the investigation and handling of tobacco-related illegal activities, focusing on prevention, and organizing the "Guarding Growth" special action.
  Law enforcement personnel promote and interpret regulations to e-cigarette shops
Thorough investigations: Comprehensive cleanup of existing tobacco sales around campuses, especially those selling e-cigarettes. A total of 44 e-cigarette shops were identified, and their operators, franchise methods, and main consumer groups were registered and all established in a ledger.

Publicity and education: 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, bus stations, community bulletin boards, and cigarette retail stores and e-cigarette shops.

Supervision and management: Continuously strengthening supervision of the e-cigarette market, fully grasping the latest developments, and publicly announcing complaint hotlines to promptly rectify violations of sales regulations, ensuring the physical and mental health of minors.

The Zhejiang Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Bureau and the Zhejiang Provincial Market Supervision Administration jointly formulated the "Action Plan for Protecting Minors from Tobacco Harm - 'Guarding Growth' Special Action Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"). The special action lasts for three months, divided into three phases: publicity and mobilization, concentrated rectification, and summary enhancement.

The "Plan" emphasizes the need to resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and the requirements of laws and regulations, intensifying the investigation and handling of tobacco-related illegal activities, focusing more on prevention, combining treatment and prevention, and comprehensive governance, ensuring effective publicity and education, strengthening legal publicity at tobacco sales points (including e-cigarettes), urging the comprehensive setting of warning signs; ensuring adequate prevention and protection, strictly enforcing distance standards around primary and secondary schools and kindergartens (hereinafter referred to as "around campuses"), implementing registration and cleanup of tobacco 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.<\/strong>

First, earnestly implement the requirement that no sales points should be set up around campuses. Strictly enforce distance standards 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 supervision of the e-cigarette market. Strictly regulate e-cigarette production and business practices; continuously enhance control over internet channels; 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 decided to jointly carry out a six-month special activity called "Jointly Caring for and Guarding Growth" to protect minors from e-cigarette harm throughout the city (including counties, districts, and cities), and held a launch ceremony for the special activity 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, read the "Initiative to Protect Minors from E-Cigarette Harm," and signed the "Branch Pairing Co-construction Agreement." Additionally, representatives of cigarette retailers also signed the "Cigarette Retailer Compliance Operation Commitment."
 
Signing the "Cigarette Retailer Compliance Operation Commitment"
The two levels of the Quanzhou City Procuratorate and the Tobacco Monopoly Bureau are carrying out the "Jointly Caring for and Guarding Growth" special activity to protect minors from e-cigarette harm, which will form a multi-dimensional coordination mechanism among departments through resource sharing, jointly creating a prevention, supervision, and crackdown mechanism for minors involved in e-cigarette matters, and jointly creating a safe and healthy growth environment for minors, promoting the improvement of 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 in the special activity.