The China Tobacco Control Association recently released the results of a survey of tobacco sales outlets in eight cities and 10 counties/towns. Experts believe that the tobacco sales outlets have made progress in prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to minors, but the number of tobacco advertisements has increased significantly, and there is no need to strengthen supervision.

According to Xu Guihua, a researcher at the China Tobacco Control Association, there are 63.7% of tobacco sales outlets in the cities and counties/towns surveyed. From the comparison of the results of the 2019 and 2016 surveys of urban tobacco sales outlets, 64.9% of urban tobacco sales outlets in 2019 had tobacco advertisements, an increase of 19.2 percentage points from 45.7% in 2016.

The situation has improved in setting a ban on the sale of cigarettes to minors. The proportion of sales points in the city with a banned sale sign increased from 30% in 2016 to 41.5% in 2019, an increase of 11.5 percentage points. However, in the cities and counties/towns surveyed, there were still 57.6% of the tobacco sales outlets in 2019. There is no sign prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to minors.

Xiao Lin, a researcher at the Center for Tobacco Control of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship activities will beautify the image of tobacco companies, weaken the willingness of smokers to quit, and open up markets for tobacco consumption. In particular, in terms of harm to adolescents, a number of studies have shown that tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship activities increase the likelihood that adolescents will start smoking.

Liao Wenke, vice president of the China Tobacco Control Association, said that there are provisions in the Law on the Protection of Minors that “operators should set up signs that do not sell alcohol and tobacco to minors in a prominent position”, and there is no need to further strengthen supervision and resolutely ban illegal tobacco advertising.