Shenzhen will issue the strictest “smoking ban” in history: electronic cigarettes will also be included in the scope of the smoking ban.
Electronic cigarette
When the “smoking ban” came into force all over the country, electronic cigarettes became the first choice of many old smokers, and even were labeled “helpful to quit smoking” by merchants. However, in Shenzhen in the future, the “treatment” of electronic cigarette smoking is likely to be the same as that of traditional cigarette smoking, which will be included in the scope of smoking control, and the scope of smoking control will also be extended from indoor to outdoor ticket purchase or waiting areas with dense crowds.
On April 23, the highly concerned Draft Amendment to Shenzhen special economic zone control smoking ordinance (hereinafter referred to as “Draft Amendment”) was first submitted to the 33rd Session of the Standing Committee of the Sixth People’s Congress of Shenzhen for consideration. Municipal and district governments have also established joint meeting system, which incorporates tobacco control into urban development planning as one of the government performance appraisal.
What changes have been made to the upgraded version of the smoking ban? Now Vape hk tell you one by one:
1. Smoking ban extends from indoor to outdoor
The current “Regulations on Smoking Control in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone” (hereinafter referred to as “Regulations on Smoking Control”) has been fully implemented since March 1, 2014. Over the past four years, a total of 3.745 million yuan has been fined, including 33.225 million yuan for illegal smokers and 420,000 yuan for places with poor smoking control. However, the main scope of smoking ban is still concentrated in indoor public places, but many citizens are gradually unsatisfied with it.
“They believe that people in places such as entrances and exits, waiting areas and so on are densely crowded and basically cover all age groups, including minors, pregnant women, the elderly, and so on. This is also a serious smoking disaster area. In recent years, most of the complaints about smoking control received by the municipal government’s 12345 telephone report came from these places.” Yuan Liping, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, said that the Amendment (Draft) would allow pedestrians to travel within five metres of the entrance and exit of public transport stations, as well as in the areas where public transport outdoor platforms and waiting teams are located, as well as in schools, hospitals, training institutions, parks, tourist attractions, cultural and cultural fairs, stadiums, sports and fitness venues. The outdoor ticket-buying area outside the entrance and the waiting area are all included in the smoking ban.
2、Vapes
Electronic cigarette is an electronic product that imitates cigarettes. By means of atomization, nicotine, etc. is converted into steam for users to smoke. Statistics show that in 2018, the number of smokers of electronic cigarettes in the world is close to 40 million, and the market size has reached 10 billion US dollars. More than 90% of the global electronic cigarettes come from Shenzhen, China and other places.
“In recent years, electronic cigarettes with slogans such as `substitute for traditional cigarettes’, `help quit smoking’, `healthier and more fashionable’have developed rapidly, and have been loved by more and more young smokers, and even attracted some non-smokers to try smoking. But research has proved that electronic cigarettes are not as harmless as they are advertised, and some of them are even more harmful. At present, our country lacks supervision and standards for electronic cigarettes, so it is necessary to improve the supervision and management of new tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes through legislation. Yuan Liping said.
On the other hand, Yuan Liping said that electronic cigarettes have been banned in Hong Kong and Macao. Shenzhen, as one of the four major central cities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, should be in line with the international standards and continue to be at the forefront of the country. “At present, 42 countries and regions worldwide have banned or restricted the use of electronic cigarettes in public places. The Amendment (Draft) also clearly stipulates that tobacco products include electronic cigarettes, and smoking includes the use of electronic cigarettes.”
3. Illegal smoking is no longer discouraged and directly fined.
The Regulations on Tobacco Control previously stipulated that individuals who smoke in non-smoking places should be fined only if they do not listen to the dissuasion of the operators and managers of the places. However, this has become an excuse for illegal smokers to evade punishment. Therefore, the draft amendment deletes the content of “dissuasion”, stipulating that law enforcement authorities can order correction, impose a fine of 50 yuan and collect it on the spot.
At the same time, in view of the previous provisions of the Regulations on Tobacco Control that the operators and managers of places should be warned before they are punished for failing to perform their duties of tobacco control, and fines should be imposed only if they fail to make corrections within the time limit, the Amendment (Draft) also deletes the warning and will be directly punished accordingly.
4. No tobacco products can be sold within 50 meters of school entrance and exit
The Amendment (Draft) also adds a new provision that “no tobacco products shall be sold within 50 meters of the entrance and exit of primary and secondary schools and the Youth Palace”.
Conclusion
Smoking or vaping in crowds or public areas will be fined only 50 yuan(7 dollars) in Shenzhen. So no need be too scared vaping in Shenzhen. Smoking or vaping outdoors is very safe and no one will fine you. After all, no one will be happy to smoke inside the office to let the smoke suffocate himself. The author had been smoking and vaping both indoors and outdoors for 4 years in Shenzhen and had never been fined.
