Prohibition of selling vape notices to minors

In response to the sale of vapes to students in stationery stores near primary and secondary schools and the sale of vapes on the platform, the State Administration of Markets and the State Tobacco Monopoly Bureau jointly issued a notice on the prohibition of selling vapes to minors. ("Notice") requires that Chinese market entities may not sell vape to minors.

According to the State Administration of Markets, recently, the media reported that stationery stores near primary and secondary schools in some areas sold vapes to students, and some vapes were sold on some e-commerce platforms. In order to protect minors from vape, the State Administration of Market Supervision and the State Tobacco Monopoly Bureau jointly issued the Notice.

The Notice stated that minors who use vape have significant health and safety risks. At present, China has not officially promulgated the national standard of vape. The various vape products on the market are arbitrarily strong in terms of raw material selection, additive use, process design and quality control, and the quality of vape products is uneven. Misaligned, some products may have potential safety hazards such as e-liquid leakage, inferior batteries, and unsafe ingredients.

In addition, the core consumer component of most vapes is purified nicotine, which is a highly toxic chemical. The respiratory system of minors has not yet developed, and inhalation of such aerosols can have adverse effects on lung function. Improper use can also lead to a variety of safety risks such as nicotine poisoning.

The Notice requires market entities not to sell vapes to minors. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which was signed by China in 2006 and approved by the World Health Organization, stipulates: “Prohibition of the production and sale of confectionery, snacks, toys or any other physical objects in the shape of tobacco products that are attractive to minors”; The Law on the Protection of Minors clearly stipulates that “the sale of tobacco and alcohol to minors is prohibited”.

According to the Notice, vape is a supplement to traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, and it has significant safety and health risks. In order to strengthen the social protection of the physical and mental health of minors, various market entities are not allowed to sell vapes to minors. It is recommended that the e-commerce platform be used to remove vape products containing the words “student” and “minor”, and deduct or close the store (seller); strengthen the review of the name of the vape product on the shelf. Take effective measures to block related keywords and not display vape products to minors.

The "Notice" said that the market supervision departments at all levels and the tobacco monopoly administrative departments will further strengthen the market supervision of vape products, and cooperate with special actions such as comprehensive management around the school to urge various market entities not to sell e- to minors. Cigarette, and timely investigation and punishment of all kinds of illegal acts such as production and sales of "three no" vape; schools and families strengthen the education and protection of minors, emphasizing the health hazards of vape; the media strengthens the smoking of minors Including the use of vape to promote health promotion; any organization and individual should discourage and stop the sale of vape to minors.