The Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement yesterday that its staff carried out a total of 199,685 venue inspections during the first three quarters of this year, recording 4,859 violations of the tobacco and alcohol control laws.
Regarding tobacco control, joint operations conducted by the Health Bureau alongside the Public Security Police (PSP), the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), and Macao Customs Services discovered 4,226 cases of illegal smoking, 560 cases of carrying e-cigarettes into or out of Macau, and 68 cases involving other suspected violations of the tobacco control law, including failure to display statutory no-smoking signs and failure to post notices prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors under 18 years of age at retail outlets, according to the statement.
The statement pointed out that eateries were the most frequent site for illegal smoking violations, accounting for 786 cases (18.6 percent), followed by public transport stops, which accounted for 523 cases (12.4 percent), adding that during the same period, joint inspections conducted by the Health Bureau and the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau across local casinos totalled 462 visits, leading to the detection of 494 illegal smoking cases.
Regarding alcohol control, five suspected violations were recorded in the first three quarters, the statement said, adding that in one instance, discovered during a routine inspection, officers caught an individual offering beer to a young child; Health Bureau officers immediately identified themselves, stopped the violation, and opened a formal investigation.
Under the relevant law, providing alcoholic beverages to minors for non-commercial purposes carries a maximum fine of 20,000 patacas, according to the statement.
The Health Bureau highlighted that because adolescents’ brains are not yet fully developed, consuming alcohol can impair brain development and easily lead to addiction, urging the public never to supply alcohol to minors.
This undated handout photo provided by the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday shows its inspectors, in collaboration with the Public Security Police Force (PSP) and the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), conducting a joint operation.
