Tobacco retailers should also be banned from putting up tobacco advertisements because they are public places, law experts said at a press conference of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control on Tuesday.
The revised Advertisement Law, which will take effect on September 1, states that tobacco advertisements are forbidden on mass media and in public places.
However, sources from the tobacco industry said they do not consider tobacco retailers public places as they only cater to a specific group of people.
"The shops are open to the public and serve non-smokers as well," said Zhao Jianwen, a law researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Xu Guihua, deputy director of the association, added that their most recent research shows that 22.9 percent of tobacco shop customers are minors.
