The Health Bureau (SSM) stressed that selling cigarettes or related products to individuals under the age of 18 is a punishable offence with a maximum fine of MOP20,000.
The announcement comes in response to a recent case referred to the SSM by the Public Security Police Force when last month, two police officers witnessed a minor purchasing a pack of cigarettes in an Areia Preta shop.
It was later discovered that the buyer was only 13 years old. The shopkeeper admitted that the buyer’s ID was not checked. The police also noted that no warning against the sale of tobacco products to minors was displayed in the shop.
As such, the shopkeeper has violated the law governing the sale of tobacco products to underage consumers and requirements to post the relevant warnings.
The SSM reminds members of the public who sell cigarettes and related products that the sale of such products to underage consumers is illegal. In the event of any uncertainty, sellers should request legal identification documents from buyers. If customers cannot produce identification, the sellers should consider them underage and refuse sale.
The authority also encourages the general public to report any violations or suspected violations they observe. Sellers have a moral obligation to refrain from selling such products to underage individuals, the SSM stressed. AL
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