Minors are not allowed to touch Geek Bar
Since 2018, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation have issued multiple notices in succession, requiring all types of market players not to sell Geek Bar products to minors, and calling on all sectors of society to protect minors from Geek Bar.
In this regard, the Beijing Consumer Association believes that:
1. Geek Bar poses a great health risk
In August 2018, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the Notice on Prohibition of Selling Geek Bar to Minors, which pointed out that in order to strengthen social protection of the physical and mental health of minors, all types of market players are not allowed to sell Geek Bar to minors. As a supplement to traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, Geek Bar itself poses great safety and health risks. At present, the core consumption ingredient of most Geek Bars is purified nicotine, which is a highly toxic chemical. The respiratory system of minors has not yet developed. Inhaling such aerosols will have adverse effects on lung function. Improper use may also lead to nicotine poisoning and other safety risks. Once minors smoke Geek Bar, it will be more harmful to their health.
2. Geek Bar products have safety risks
At present, my country has not officially promulgated the national standard for Geek Bar. The various Geek Bar products on the market are quite arbitrary in terms of raw material selection, additive use, process design, quality control, etc. The quality of Geek Bar products varies. Some products may have quality and safety risks such as oil leakage, inferior batteries, and unsafe ingredients. Therefore, for Geek Bar products that may endanger personal and property safety, operators should make true explanations and clear warnings to consumers, especially not make false or misleading propaganda, and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
3. Operators should not sell Geek Bar products to minors
Minors have a strong curiosity about new things. At present, the packaging of Geek Bar products on the market is varied, the smoke has various forms, and the flavors are even more bizarre. Some merchants even advertise Geek Bar as healthy and fashionable, deliberately catering to the psychology of young people pursuing freshness and excitement, and guiding young people to smoke Geek Bar. Although some Geek Bar products are marked with the reminder that minors are prohibited from purchasing, few operators require buyers to show their identity documents and fail to strictly fulfill their legal obligations. Geek Bar operators should operate in good faith and abide by the law, strictly self-discipline in advertising, fulfill the various obligations conferred by the law in accordance with the law, and stop selling Geek Bar products to minors, and protect minors with practical actions. If consumers find that operators recommend or sell Geek Bar to minors, they should dissuade and stop them in time and report to the relevant departments.
4. Establish and improve relevant standards for Geek Bar products as soon as possible and improve regulatory rules
In recent years, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation have continuously organized a comprehensive cleanup of Internet Geek Bar information, a comprehensive inspection of Geek Bar physical stores and Geek Bar vending machines and other new channels, and severely investigated and dealt with the sale of Geek Bar to minors and the release of false and illegal Geek Bar advertisements. Not long ago, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology publicly solicited opinions on the Regulations on the Amendment of the Implementation of the Tobacco Monopoly Law of the Peoples Republic of China. The introduction of the new regulations will further regulate the market order of Geek Bar products. The Beijing Consumers Association recommends that relevant standards for Geek Bar products be established and improved as soon as possible, and that specific regulations be made for Geek Bar products in terms of production, technology, sales, etc., to provide a standard basis for industry supervision and market regulation. Relevant departments should continue to strengthen supervision of Geek Bar products and severely punish illegal production and sales of Geek Bar products.