The Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement yesterday that it recorded an illegal case of selling tobacco products to a 13-year-old, reminding residents that retailers who sell tobacco products to children face a 20,000-pataca fine.
The statement did not reveal the youngster’s gender.
According to the statement, the incident happened in June when two police officers saw a teenager, who appeared to be about 13 or 14 years old, buying a packet of cigarettes from a shop. The statement pointed out that the cashier did not ask the teenager to show any ID to prove that he or she was not underage. The statement said that after the police went up to the teenager and confirmed that he was only 13 years old, they went to the shop and questioned the cashier. The statement said that the cashier admitted selling the packet of cigarettes to the teenager without asking for an ID.
The statement also said that the police discovered that the shop did not display a mandatory poster warning that “It is prohibited to sell tobacco products to people who are under 18 years old” in “clear view” but the one it did have was shredded on the wall.
The statement noted that the shop violated Paragraph 1 of Article 14 of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Law on the sale of tobacco products to underage persons, and the same article’s Paragraph 2 on failing to display the warning posters in areas with a “clear view” on the premises. The statement pointed out that the case was transferred by the Public Security Police to the Health Bureau afterwards.
Meanwhile, according to the statement, in the first half of the year, the bureau’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Law enforcement officers inspected 146,384 venues, or 78,712 more than last year. On average, the officers inspected 804 venues per day. The statement noted that the officers fined 1,216 cases, comprising 1,202 illegal smoking cases, 12 cases of unregulated tobacco products, and two cases of retailers displaying tobacco products.
The statement noted that among the illegal smoking cases, 1,197 involved males and 95 involved females, pointing out that around 762 (63.4 percent) were local residents, 341 (28.4 percent) were tourists and 99 (8.2 percent) were non-resident workers (informally known as blue-card holders). The statement also said that among the illegal smoking cases, 46 required police intervention, while 1,024 of the fines have already been paid. The statement underlined that illegal smoking cases are most likely to be found at eateries (208 cases), malls or shops (192 cases), and parks or leisure areas (132 cases).
The statement said that from January 1 to June 30 this year, the tobacco prevention and control enforcement officers received 838 phone calls, comprising 352 enquiries, 460 complaints, and 82 calls from residents providing feedback.
Moreover, the statement pointed out that the enforcement officers located 105 illegal smoking “black spots”, including Pat Tat Sun Chuen Building, Centro Comercial Costa, and Casino Emperor Palace. The statement stressed that the officers inspected these locations 354 times and issued 52 fines, noting that the inspection and penalty ratio was 14.7 percent.
According to the statement, until July 2 the Health Bureau had received 40 requests from casinos to set up 884 smoking lounges, 873 smoking rooms were approved.
The bureau reminded residents that with the exception of the airport and local casinos that have approved smoking lounges, all indoor smoking has been banned, while the non-smoking areas at bus stops has been increased to 10 metres on either side. The statement stressed that violators are fined 1,500 patacas. For more information, residents can call 2855 6789.
This Health Bureau (SSM) poster warns residents that illegal smoking carries a 1,500-pataca fine.
