Businesses support outdoor smoking ban, e-cigarette crackdown

Local representatives from the business and tourism sectors voiced broad support Sunday for expanding outdoor smoking bans and prohibiting e-cigarette possession during the first public consultation on proposed Tobacco Control Act amendments.

The session, held one month after the initial public consultation on the law’s overhaul, drew about 80 attendees to the Health Bureau Conference Hall.

According to the Health Bureau (SSM), seven organizational representatives presented views on proposals including broader outdoor no-smoking zones, e-cigarette possession bans, and standardized tobacco packaging.

Lam Chong, head of the Services for the Promotion of Health’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, explained the proposed MOP1,500 fine for e-cigarette possession would align with other administrative violations like jaywalking (MOP300) or littering (MOP600). He also clarified that tobacco control falls under administrative law, meaning street searches by personnel or management are prohibited.

Internal inspections at schools or children’s institutions, however, remain governed by those entities’ own rules.

The amendments predominantly target secondhand smoke from “smoking while walking” by designating school and nursery entrances as no-smoking zones. In addition, they announce the ban on manufacturing and distribution of nicotine pouches, herbal tobacco, and hookah items, including pipes and pastes, to shield youth from these emerging products. E-cigarette restrictions build on an existing prohibition – more than three years old – on their production, sale, import, export, and possession.

Participants at the meeting strongly backed expanding no-smoking zones to reduce disturbances from walking smokers and proposed adding such areas in tourist spots, along with awareness campaigns on penalties.

Paul Wong, president of the Macau Leisure Tourism Service Innovation Association, stated that outdoor smoking control is an inevitable trend. He detailed that future expansions to World Heritage sites and tourist areas would boost Macau’s image as both a tourist hub and a healthy city.

Wong noted, however, that varying global rules leave many tourists unaware of Macau’s restrictions. He urged stronger publicity at border crossings and tourist zones, with officers warning visitors of regulations before fines take effect. Wong pointed to Singapore’s strict outdoor smoking enforcement as a model for Macau.

Measures against new products and public e-cigarette possession were widely supported to curb youth uptake.

Going forward, SSM has scheduled a community organizations session on March 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a general public forum on March 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., both at the bureau’s Conference Hall on the fifth floor of the Public Health Emergency Personnel Dormitory at Rua do Campo. Advance registration is required via the bureau’s dedicated webpage.