Page 99 - TAIWAN TOBACCO CONTROL ANNUAL REPORT 2019

The Health Promotion Administration publishes lists of violating stores and organizes conferences for businesses on a regular basis to give tobacco retailers a better understanding of relevant laws and regulations and ensures the refusal of tobacco product sales in accordance with relevant laws. On May 10, 2018, the Administration held a press conference titled "Stop, watch, listen - Don't sell tobacco products to minors and protect them from tobacco hazards". Businesses of all sales channels were invited to sign a petition to support a ban on the sale of cigarette to minors and express their determination to refuse the sale of tobacco products to minors. Businesses were also urged to fulfill their social responsibility and incorporate the teaching of relevant skills required for the refusal of sales to minors into regular training courses. The goal is to provide first-line sales personnel with the concepts and skills required for the refusal the sale of tobacco products to ensure the full protection of sales personnel in compliance with relevant laws, and make a joint effort to prevent tobacco hazards in our society and protect our younger generation. The government, NGOs, businesses, and the general public have to join hands and serve as guardians in a determined effort to safeguard the health of our teenagers. Prohibiting the Illicit Trade of Tobacco Products Article 15 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control required signatories to work together in cross- national collaboration programs to curtail the smuggling of tobacco products, and utilize administrative management and supervision of tobacco sales to prevent contraband or counterfeit tobacco products from entering the consumer market. International experience indicated that smuggling is closely associated with law enforcement. In order to eradicate the smuggling of tobacco products, governments must focus on strict inspection and seizure of illicit tobacco products instead of adopting policies that lower tobacco price. To strengthen inspection procedures and reduce the circulation of contraband and counterfeit tobacco products, the Ministry of Finance has established a comprehensive management model according to the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act. Multi-departmental collaborative systems where the central and local governments as well as investigative agencies utilized legally stipulated public authority to actively inspect and seize illegal goods while promoting public awareness against tobacco smuggling. Tobacco manufacturers were also required to establish self-management measures, using information exchange to support the inspection and seizure of illicit tobacco products and to safeguard the order of the legal market. Additionally, personnel involved in the inspection process were provided training for identifying contraband or counterfeit tobacco products in order to improve their actual practice of inspection processes. Monitoring and performance assessment systems were also established to improve investigation performances. Globalization and liberalization of trade and the trend of free trade as well as increasingly complex and devious means of smuggling contraband or counterfeit tobacco products meant that the exposure and seizure of illegal products would be dependent upon the accessibility and collection of cross country information. 97 Reducing the Supply of Tobacco