Punishing those who employ children under 18 to sell cigarettes.
In the coming period, relevant agencies will develop guidelines and strictly penalize individuals and organizations that violate regulations prohibiting the use of persons under 18 years of age to sell tobacco or selling tobacco to persons under 18 years of age, and prohibiting the sale of tobacco through vending machines.
Illustrative image. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
The above content is part of the national strategy for preventing and controlling the harmful effects of tobacco until 2020, which has just been approved by the Prime Minister.
The project aims to reduce demand and control the supply of tobacco products consumed in the Vietnamese market, thereby reducing the risk of illness and death caused by tobacco use.
The plan sets the goal of reducing the smoking rate among young people (aged 15-24) from 26% in 2011 to 18% in 2020, reducing the smoking rate among men from 47% in 2011 to 39% in 2020, and among women to below 1.4% in 2020.
One of the main solutions proposed in the plan is to develop a roadmap for adjusting taxes and setting minimum selling prices for tobacco products to curb demand and control the trade of tobacco products.
According to the Strategy, the Ministry of Health will coordinate with relevant agencies to develop a comprehensive program and plan for information and communication on tobacco harm prevention and control, and organize its implementation to raise awareness and strengthen support from policymakers and the community for tobacco harm prevention and control.
The Steering Committee for the Tobacco Harm Prevention Program in provinces and centrally-administered cities will also be considered for establishment, with the participation of departments, agencies, mass organizations, and social organizations.
The national strategy for preventing and controlling the harmful effects of tobacco is implemented in two phases; phase 1 from 2012-2015; and phase 2 from 2016-2020.
The financial solution for implementing the project is to diversify funding sources for tobacco harm prevention and control activities from various sources such as the Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control Fund; the state budget; and voluntary contributions from organizations and individuals both domestically and internationally.
According to (Vietnam+) - LT
