Anti-smoking campaign wins state support
Print Edition
A NEWLY published draft regulation on tobacco control by China’s State Council has been applauded by many who see it as an epoch-making step in the country’s anti-smoking drive.
The draft, which bans all forms of tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion, as well as certain scenes in films and TV shows, was released for public consultation on Monday.
Yang Gonghuan, deputy head of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, said it is the first time China has considered state-level legislation on tobacco control and shows great determination to tackle the issue.
“The draft lists a wide range of places where smoking is prohibited, and its scope is much wider than those stipulated in other regulations,” she said.
According to the draft, smoking is banned in all indoor public places and outdoor spaces at kindergartens, schools, colleges, women’s and children’s hospitals, fitness venues, and public transport waiting areas.
It also asks cigarette producers to include health warnings on their packaging.
Xu Zhaorui, director of the Changchun health education center in Jilin Province, said that while products exported by Chinese brands carry health warnings those sold at home do not.
As the world’s largest tobacco consumer, China has more than 300 million smokers.
In 2003, the country signed the FCTC. The convention, which became effective in China in 2006, requires signatories to ban smoking in public areas, reduce tobacco supplies and consumption, and ban all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Wang Qingbin, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, said the draft regulation in accordance with the FCTC requirements has been long awaited.
The country’s efforts to establish a national law to ban smoking have been hampered by obstacles, he said.
“The GDP of some cities relies heavily on the cigarette industry. At the same time, demands for tobacco control vary among cities,” he said.
Though no national law on smoking control has been established, a dozen Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, have launched local smoking bans.
“Local smoking legislation has promoted the establishment of a national ban,” said Wang Ke’an, director of the Beijing-based anti-smoking advocacy group ThinkTank.
“The local bans have been met with all kinds of difficulties in terms of enforcement. Once the draft is passed, it will provide strong legal support for the enforcement of the local legislation,” he said.
Strategies on getting legislation implemented is a big issue for law enforcement officials.
According to the draft, managers of public places will be directly responsible for preventing people from smoking in the stipulated places, Wang Qingbin said.
Therefore, the government should explore ways to stimulate anti-smoking initiatives and come up with effective measures to supervise the managers, he said.
Yang Gonghuan said that relevant government departments should establish an open and transparent mechanism for law enforcement that can be monitored by both the media and the public.
The establishment of a smoking ban is a precondition for tobacco control, she said.
It is of a greater importance for the government to heighten public awareness of the harm of smoking.
Gan Quan, an official with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, said China should raise tobacco tax and the retail price of cigarettes in order to reduce tobacco consumption.
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