The Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday unanimously passed the outline of a government-initiated bill that proposes various amendments to Macau’s anti-smoking law, including expanding the city’s smoking ban to more outdoor public areas, prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes in all public spaces, and allowing anti-smoking inspectors to be equipped with body-worn video cameras (body cams).
The bill proposes amendments to Macau’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Law.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam introduced the outline of the amendment bill during a plenary session in the legislature’s hemicycle yesterday.
Following yesterday’s passage of its outline, the amendment bill will be forwarded to one of the legislature’s standing committees for an article-by-article review, after which it will be resubmitted to another plenary session for its second and final debate and article-by-article vote.
Since the Tobacco Prevention and Control Law came into force in 2012, it has been amended twice, in 2018 and 2022.
According to the current version of Macau’s anti-smoking law, smoking is banned in all indoor public venues and facilities, except for smoking lounges in casinos and at the airport. In addition, smoking is prohibited in certain outdoor public areas such as public parks and gardens, beaches, footbridges, pedestrian underpasses, and within 10 metres of all public bus stops.
Illegal smoking carries a fixed fine of 1,500 patacas.
According to O, the amendment bill proposes to newly designate outdoor areas within 10 metres of the entrances to all schools, kindergartens, crèches, hospitals, and public health centres as statutory no-smoking zones, aiming to better protect children and patients from exposure to second-hand smoke.
The Health Bureau (SSM) rolled out a smoking ban in outdoor areas within 10 metres of the entrances to three schools and a crèche in November last year, where violators are fined 1,500 patacas. The measure was extended to eight more schools and four more crèches late last month.
Under the current version of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Law, the Health Bureau can, on a case-by-case basis, designate additional outdoor public areas as statutory no-smoking zones beyond those listed in the law, provided it obtains the green light from the respective public entities governing the areas concerned. Consequently, the outdoor areas within 10 metres of the entrances to the 11 schools and five crèches are now also statutory no-smoking zones, meaning those smoking there also face a 1,500-pataca fine.
Once the government-proposed amendments take effect, the Health Bureau will no longer need to obtain permission from the respective public entities to designate outdoor areas outside additional schools and crèches as statutory no-smoking zones on a case-by-case basis.
O noted the ongoing implementation of a pilot no-smoking zone on pavements around Dr. Carlos D’Assumpção Park in Nape, which started in February this year.
The pilot no-smoking zone covers the pavements outside Dr. Carlos D’Assumpção Park, the pavements outside nine buildings on Alameda Dr. Carlos D’Assumpção (the two-way avenue outside the park), and the recreational area located between the park and the waterfront Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre. Smokers can use nine designated smoking spots set up within the pilot zone.
Because streets in general are currently not statutory no-smoking zones and the Dr. Carlos D’Assumpção Park zone is being implemented as a pilot project, those caught smoking in the area will not be fined. Instead, they will merely be urged by anti-smoking inspectors not to smoke there.
O said that based on the experience gained from the pilot project, the amendment bill proposes that after gathering public opinion, the government can designate certain streets and squares with heavy pedestrian traffic as statutory no-smoking zones on a case-by-case basis through a chief executive order. This aims to better address the issue of non-smokers being affected by those who smoke while walking.
Moreover, O said the amendment bill also proposes to ban the use of e-cigarettes in all public spaces.
The 2018 amendments to the anti-smoking law barred the sale of e-cigarettes in Macau. The 2022 amendments further toughened regulations; since December 2022, Macau has banned the manufacture, distribution, sale, import, and export of e-cigarettes. In addition, travellers are prohibited from bringing e-cigarettes into or taking them out of Macau, O noted.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam addresses yesterday’s plenary session in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle. – Photo: GCS
