What Regulations Must be Followed When Trading Tobacco Products?
According to the provisions of Article 9 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harm 2012, the detailed regulations on prohibited acts regarding tobacco are as follows:
- Manufacturing, trading, importing, storing, transporting counterfeit tobacco, products designed to resemble packs, boxes, or cigarettes; trading, storing, transporting raw tobacco materials, smuggled tobacco.
- Advertising, promoting tobacco; directly marketing tobacco to consumers in any form.
- Sponsorship by organizations or individuals engaged in tobacco business, except as stipulated in Article 16 of this Law.
- Individuals under 18 years of age using, buying, selling tobacco.
- Employing individuals under 18 years of age to buy, sell tobacco.
- Selling, supplying tobacco to individuals under 18 years of age.
- Selling tobacco via vending machines; smoking, selling tobacco at locations where smoking is prohibited.
- Using images of tobacco in the press, publications specifically for children.
- Persuading or forcing others to use tobacco.
In addition, Article 25 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harm 2012 stipulates the regulations regarding the sale of tobacco. Specifically:
- The sale of tobacco must meet the following requirements:
+ Enterprises, wholesale agents, retail agents selling tobacco must have a license to sell tobacco as prescribed by the Government of Vietnam;
+ The responsible person at the wholesale agent’s point of sale, retail agent for tobacco must display a signboard stating no tobacco is sold to persons under 18 years of age; retail agents and retail points for tobacco must not display more than one pack, one carton, or one box of a brand of tobacco.
- Agencies, organizations, individuals are not allowed to organize, permit or sell tobacco at locations stipulated in Article 11, Article 12, except point a clause 1 Article 12 of this Law; tobacco must not be sold within 100 meters from the outer boundary of kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools, high schools, medical research institutes, hospitals, maternity hospitals, preventive health centers, commune-level health stations.
=> Thus, if you wish to engage in the tobacco business, you must comply with the sale requirements as regulated above. Additionally, ensure that the tobacco trading activities do not fall under the prohibited acts stipulated by the Law.
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