The Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday passed the outline of a government-initiated bill that introduces various amendments to Macau’s anti-smoking law. These include expanding the city’s smoking ban to more outdoor public areas, prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes in all public spaces, and allowing anti-smoking inspectors to be equipped with body-worn video cameras (body cams).
The bill amends Macau’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Law.
The amendment bill’s outline was passed during a plenary session of the legislature last month, after which it was reviewed by its 3rd Standing Committee before being resubmitted to yesterday’s plenary session, attended by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam. The bill was then voted on article-by-article in its second and final reading.
The new version of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Law will take legal effect on 1 January next year.
Since the Tobacco Prevention and Control Law came into force in 2012, it has previously been amended twice, in 2018 and 2022.
According to the current version of Macau’s anti-smoking law, smoking is banned in all indoor public venues and facilities, except for designated smoking lounges in casinos and at the airport. In addition, smoking is prohibited in certain outdoor public areas, such as public parks and gardens, beaches, footbridges, pedestrian underpasses, and within 10 metres of all public bus stops.
Illegal smoking carries a fixed fine of 1,500 patacas.
The updated anti-smoking law will newly designate outdoor areas within 10 metres of the entrances to all schools, kindergartens, crèches, hospitals, and public health centres as statutory no-smoking zones, aiming to better protect children and patients from exposure to second-hand smoke.
Under the new version, the government can also designate specific streets and squares with heavy pedestrian traffic as statutory no-smoking zones on a case-by-case basis through an executive order, aiming to address the issue of non-smokers being affected by those who smoke while walking.
The government can set up smoking spots within the streets and squares designated as statutory no-smoking zones.
During yesterday’s plenary session, O said that after the new anti-smoking law takes effect, the government will first designate several streets and squares as statutory no-smoking zones via executive order. These will include the current pilot no-smoking zone implemented on pavements around Dr. Carlos D’Assumpção Park in Nape (launched in February this year), the square in front of the Barrier Gate checkpoint at the peninsula’s northern tip, and the area surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St Paul’s.
Moreover, the new anti-smoking law will ban the use of e-cigarettes in all public spaces.
The 2018 amendments to the anti-smoking law barred the sale of e-cigarettes in Macau. The 2022 amendments further toughened regulations, banning the manufacture, distribution, sale, import, and export of e-cigarettes since December 2022. In addition, travellers are prohibited from bringing e-cigarettes into or out of Macau.
While most provisions listed in the new version of the anti-smoking law will take effect on January 1 next year, the ban on the use of e-cigarettes in all public spaces will come into force on July 1 next year.
Flanked by officials under her portfolio, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam (centre) addresses yesterday’s plenary session in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle. – Photo courtesy of TDM
