Smoking ban in China, Asia

[ahojunk]

Beijing is having a second go at banning smoking in public places. It's a laudable thing to do, I do hope that Beijing succeeds this time.
Australia has implemented plain packaging for cigarettes.

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How Beijing’s four million smokers are (barely) coping with a new smoking ban

Giant "No Smoking" signs on Beijing's National Stadium. (Reuters/Stringer)

Written by Zheping Huang

Last week, Beijing instituted a ban on smoking in all public places, a huge change for a city of four million smokers who commonly light up everywhere from restaurants and offices to trains and hospitals.

Chinese health officials, who have failed to enforce other smoking bans before, are determined to make this one stick by fining businesses and individual offenders as much as 10,000 yuan ($1,600) and 200 yuan, respectively. (Officials are hoping to help reduce air pollution and lower China’s sky-high smoking rates.) Teams are patrolling the city for offenders, and anyone found to break the law more than three times will be publicly named and shamed on a special government website.

So far the results have been mixed, with some Beijingers furtively smoking in street corners with their heads covered.

Others are blatantly ignoring the ban. Spectators of a soccer match in the Beijing Worker’s Stadium on June 1 proceeded to smoke throughout the game, despite pleas by announcers and a slew of No Smoking signs around the stadium. One observer wrote, posting a photo of the scene on Weibo, “The Workers’ Stadium is one big chimney. The smoking ban is a joke.”

Some people are getting caught. A hotpot restaurant was fined 2,000 yuan on June 1 after inspectors found two cigarette butts in the men’s bathroom. A man who was smoking on the stairs of a hospital in Beijing was fined 50 yuan. Others are paying heed. Of 565 businesses inspected on Monday, 147 were found to have violated the ban. A cleaner at a children’s hospital told local media that even though he had cleaned up probably over a thousand cigarette butts on the ban’s first day, “it’s already much less.”

A government hotline for reporting cases of smoking in public appears to be getting more reports as the week goes on: on Monday, it had received 152 complaints, on Tuesday, 208, and on Wednesday 217.

Not everyone welcomes the ban. One blogger criticized China’s focus on smokers rather than the state-run tobacco industry, comparing it to the government’s often misplaced focus on curbing air pollution—for example, a ban on outdoor barbecues but not on the factories that emit the most air pollution. One blogger wrote (registration required), “They won’t regulate the chimney stacks but will ban barbecue stands; they don’t stop the cigarette factories, but go after the smokers.”
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[ahojunk]

In the interest of public health, Beijing should enforce this ban as strongly as possible.

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1 in 3 Public Places in Beijing Violate the Smoking Ban in First Week
2015-06-07 10:51:29 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Li Chenxi

Non-smoking banners are displayed on the iconic Bird's Nest National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China on June 1, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua]

One in three public venues inspected by the Beijing Health Inspection Institute had violated the city's tough indoor smoking ban in its first week since it took effect on June 1.

According to a recent report by the public health authority showed that among the 2406 public places that were inspected, nearly 700 were given warnings and were ordered to take prompt corrective action.

Restaurants were the biggest culprits, with the highest rate of violations. Around 60% of the inspected diners had not enforced the smoking ban in their premises.

Entertainment venues and hotels also top the list of institutions that have problems with curtailing indoor smoking.

Fifteen hospitals in Beijing, including Tiantan Hospital, Xuanwu Hospital and other major medical institutions, have also received warnings.

An official with the Beijing Health Inspection Institute says those hospitals failed to post standard anti-smoking signs and set up hotlines for the public to report any violations. Meanwhile, the hospitals have not maintained any self-inspection records with regard to implementing the smoking ban and some cigarette ends were found in the toilets.

The municipal health authorities also issued more than 280 warnings to individual smokers during their inspection tours.

According to the public report on smoking control in Beijing and the supervision hotline, more than 100 cases were reported every day during the first week since the new smoking ban kicked in.

China's toughest ban on indoor smoking came into effect in Beijing on June 1. It prohibits smoking in all indoor areas including public places, workplaces and on public transportation facilities.
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[AndrewJin]

In the interest of public health, Beijing should enforce this ban as strongly as possible.

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1 in 3 Public Places in Beijing Violate the Smoking Ban in First Week
2015-06-07 10:51:29 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Li Chenxi

View attachment 228255
Non-smoking banners are displayed on the iconic Bird's Nest National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China on June 1, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua]

One in three public venues inspected by the Beijing Health Inspection Institute had violated the city's tough indoor smoking ban in its first week since it took effect on June 1.

According to a recent report by the public health authority showed that among the 2406 public places that were inspected, nearly 700 were given warnings and were ordered to take prompt corrective action.

Restaurants were the biggest culprits, with the highest rate of violations. Around 60% of the inspected diners had not enforced the smoking ban in their premises.

Entertainment venues and hotels also top the list of institutions that have problems with curtailing indoor smoking.

Fifteen hospitals in Beijing, including Tiantan Hospital, Xuanwu Hospital and other major medical institutions, have also received warnings.

An official with the Beijing Health Inspection Institute says those hospitals failed to post standard anti-smoking signs and set up hotlines for the public to report any violations. Meanwhile, the hospitals have not maintained any self-inspection records with regard to implementing the smoking ban and some cigarette ends were found in the toilets.

The municipal health authorities also issued more than 280 warnings to individual smokers during their inspection tours.

According to the public report on smoking control in Beijing and the supervision hotline, more than 100 cases were reported every day during the first week since the new smoking ban kicked in.

China's toughest ban on indoor smoking came into effect in Beijing on June 1. It prohibits smoking in all indoor areas including public places, workplaces and on public transportation facilities.
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Smoking is banned in CRH, but not banned on the platform. Every time a train stops, many smokers will rush outside even only two minutes. I am for Singapore style caning.

 

[ahojunk]

@AndrewJin
Be reasonable, Beijing has just introduce the ban on smoking. Give it some time before resorting to caning.
A suggestion - if a hardcore smoker is caught 5 times, then cane him/her.
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It is a good idea to use hand signals. This is creative.
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China is voting on a hand signal to tell people to stop smoking
Written by Lily Kuo
April 15, 2015

China, home to a quarter of the world’s smokers, is rolling out measures to encourage people to cut back on tobacco. As of June 1st, smoking will be banned in indoor public places throughout the country, with fines of up to 200 yuan ($33) for individuals and 10,000 yuan for businesses that break the rules.

Part of the campaign is raising public awareness. Almost a quarter of Chinese adults smoke, and 1 million die from tobacco-related diseases each year, but most people know little about the health effects of smoking or being around smokers. As a result, Beijing officials have launched a rare democratic initiative by asking online users to vote on one of three gestures (link in Chinese) to tell a nearby smoker to stop.

Voters are making their choices on the messaging app Weixin, under the public account wuyanbeijing, or “smoke-free Beijing.” As of Wednesday afternoon, the gesture of holding a palm out is winning. But other observers are already making fun of the campaign. One wrote (registration required) on the microblog Weibo, “Why do we need gestures? We’re not dumb.” Another said, “At first I thought these were gestures for telling a pervert to get lost.”

It’s not likely that hand gestures alone will be enough to lower smoking rates in China, where cigarettes cost as little as 3 yuan ($0.50) a pack. A previous ban on smoking in public outdoor spaces has been largely ignored. The new campaign also encourages residents to upload videos of violators and promises to curtail advertising for cigarette brands.

Moreover, the tobacco industry provides as much as 10% of government revenues, and the powerful state-backed State Tobacco Monopoly Administration is responsible for deciding and implementing many of these policies.

Gestures may also not be enough to stop the tide of future smokers. A 2013 study by Johns Hopkins University found that 22% of Chinese five and six-year-olds expect to be smokers when they grow up.
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[AndrewJin]

@AndrewJin
Be reasonable, Beijing has just introduce the ban on smoking. Give it some time before resorting to caning.
A suggestion - if a hardcore smoker is caught 5 times, then cane him/her.
------------------
It is a good idea to use hand signals. This is creative.
-------------------
China is voting on a hand signal to tell people to stop smoking
Written by Lily Kuo
April 15, 2015

China, home to a quarter of the world’s smokers, is rolling out measures to encourage people to cut back on tobacco. As of June 1st, smoking will be banned in indoor public places throughout the country, with fines of up to 200 yuan ($33) for individuals and 10,000 yuan for businesses that break the rules.

Part of the campaign is raising public awareness. Almost a quarter of Chinese adults smoke, and 1 million die from tobacco-related diseases each year, but most people know little about the health effects of smoking or being around smokers. As a result, Beijing officials have launched a rare democratic initiative by asking online users to vote on one of three gestures (link in Chinese) to tell a nearby smoker to stop.

Voters are making their choices on the messaging app Weixin, under the public account wuyanbeijing, or “smoke-free Beijing.” As of Wednesday afternoon, the gesture of holding a palm out is winning. But other observers are already making fun of the campaign. One wrote (registration required) on the microblog Weibo, “Why do we need gestures? We’re not dumb.” Another said, “At first I thought these were gestures for telling a pervert to get lost.”

View attachment 228262

It’s not likely that hand gestures alone will be enough to lower smoking rates in China, where cigarettes cost as little as 3 yuan ($0.50) a pack. A previous ban on smoking in public outdoor spaces has been largely ignored. The new campaign also encourages residents to upload videos of violators and promises to curtail advertising for cigarette brands.

View attachment 228263

Moreover, the tobacco industry provides as much as 10% of government revenues, and the powerful state-backed State Tobacco Monopoly Administration is responsible for deciding and implementing many of these policies.

Gestures may also not be enough to stop the tide of future smokers. A 2013 study by Johns Hopkins University found that 22% of Chinese five and six-year-olds expect to be smokers when they grow up.
.

I think the smoking rate in my generation is much less. My close friends never smoke.

Be reasonable, Beijing has just introduce the ban on smoking. Give it some time before resorting to caning.
A suggestion - if a hardcore smoker is caught 5 times, then cane him/her.

So far, no smokers on the platforms will be fined. I tend to agree to give their some room for smoking there, as long as no smoking inside. I guess smokers don't like non-stop train, like G2, non-stop from Nanjing to Beijing, 1000km!

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Beijing rolls out China's toughest smoking ban - CNN.com

A tough new ban on smoking indoors rolls out across the Chinese capital Monday, with lighting up now prohibited in all offices, shopping malls, restaurants, bars and airports.
Many outdoor public places such as the areas outside kindergartens and hospitals will also be required to be smoke-free.

Businesses and institutions that flout the law will face fines of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,600) and repeat offenders could have their licenses revoked.

Bernhard Schwartländer, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Beijing, says it's a "major advance" in tobacco control in China, where more cigarettes are smoked than anywhere else in the world.

Here's five things to know as China battles its "smoking dragon."
It's not the first ban
It's not the first time Beijing has tried to tackle its smoking problem -- a previous ban launched in 2008 was widely ignored. After closing them with great fanfare, the airport quietly reopened the smoking rooms in its terminals

However, unlike previous efforts, this law has teeth -- flouters will face stringent fines. Individuals must pay 200 yuan ($32) (up from 10 yuan ($1.60)) and businesses risk a penalty of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,600).

Anyone who breaks the law three times will find themselves named and shamed on a government website.

Schwartländer at the WHO says effective enforcement in a city the size of Beijing will be a "colossal task" but the law "deserves to be regarded as a major step forward in the battle against the smoking dragon."

It's popular and cheap
China is home to some 300 million smokers and some four million live in Beijing. More than one in every three cigarettes in the world is smoked in China.

And those cigarettes are cheap -- as little as $1.50 for a popular brand like Zhongnanhai. According to the Tobacco Atlas, 26% of the price of a packet of cigarettes is tax, compared with a WHO benchmark of 75%.

The China National Tobacco Corp makes one third of the world's cigarettes and is a state-run monopoly responsible for 3.6 million farmers, four million tobacco retailers and half a million related employees.

Health authorities have, until now perhaps, been reluctant to take on the interests of a giant industry.

It's worse than pollution
Northern China's smog-ridden skies have been linked to 1.2 million premature deaths a year but smoking is arguably a far more pressing health problem.

According to the WHO, the city's concentration of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers -- known as PM2.5 -- can often reach 500 or more.

While this dwarfs the WHO's recommended exposure of below 25 -- the smoke from just three cigarettes burning in a restaurant can result in a level of 600.

"The smoke from 20 or more smokers, which is not unfeasible in a crowded bar or restaurant, will result in a PM2.5 level that will be off the chart," says Schwartländer, writing in The Lancet.

Cigarettes are social currency
Smoking is a handy icebreaker in China, a way to greet someone and few interactions aren't made easier by offering a cigarette.

Until an edict by President Xi Jinping in 2013, it was common for government officials to have a cigarette in hand while performing their public duties.

Chairman Mao Zedong and paramount leader Deng Xiaoping were renowned smokers.

While the new ban will limit tobacco advertising, it might already be too late for the next generation.

In 2013, a WHO survey found that among five to six year old children, almost nine in 10 can recognize at least one brand of cigarettes and one in five expect to be smokers when they grow up.

It's a male habit
Some 45% of men smoke daily, according to 2013 figures, compared with just 2.1% of women -- this means that Chinese women endure some of the highest rates of exposure to second hand smoke in the world.

It's hoped that this army of female non-smokers might prove to be a secret weapon in enforcing the new ban.

At an event in Beijing on Sunday, groups of school girls and older women danced outside the "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium, which was draped in anti-smoking banners.

But new data shows that while the overall smoking rate has declined in the past decade, there has been a "significant increase" in women lighting up.

 

[Godman]

Smoking gun: one in three young men in China will die from tobacco, study says
PUBLISHED : Friday, 09 October, 2015, 11:45am
UPDATED : Saturday, 10 October, 2015, 3:42pm
News›China›Society
HEALTH
Mimi Lau and Associated Press
Mainland labour force and public health system will face severe strain in the future unless smokers get help now to kick the habit, studies warn

By 2030, two million Chinese smokers will be killed annually because of their deadly habit - unless programmes are implemented across the country to help them kick the vice, a top medical journal has warned.

Studies published in The Lancet by researchers from Oxford University, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Centre for Disease Control showed that two-thirds of China's young men smoke, and unless they quit, half of them would die from it.

"About two-thirds of young Chinese men become cigarette smokers, and most start before they are 20. Unless they stop, about half of them will eventually be killed by their habit," said Oxford University's Zhengming Chen, co-author of the article.

READ MORE: After 100 days, Chinese capital struggles to kick its smoking habit [1]
China has more than 350 million smokers, who consume over a third of the world's cigarettes and account for a sixth of the global smoking death toll. The country's population is 1.4 billion.

"The annual number of deaths in China that are caused by tobacco will rise from about one million in 2010 to two million in 2030 and three million in 2050, unless there is widespread cessation," the researchers wrote.

"Widespread smoking cessation offers China one of the most effective, and cost-effective, strategies to avoid disability and premature death over the next few decades."

[2]

Wu Yiqun, deputy director of the think tank Research Centre for Health Development, said the study highlighted China's problem of young smokers.

"The estimate is scientific as it is based on preliminary studies and a summary of previous research," she said. "The Chinese future is built by healthy youngsters; there is no Chinese dream if they are dying prematurely."

Criticising the progress of China's smoking ban as "far from ideal", Wu urged the government to step up its efforts against powerful tobacco company lobbyists. "It will not hurt our economy as it's a gradual process, we are not asking for an immediate shutdown of all tobacco plants."

READ MORE: Passive smoking linked to behavioural disorders; ADHD stress shortens lives [3]
Yang Gonghuan, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences' Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and a former National Office of Tobacco Control director, said: "If the government does not take the scientific studies seriously, the loss in public health expenditure and labour force will be catastrophic."

China's 2010 smoking death toll comprised some 840,000 men and 130,000 women. Smokers have about twice the mortality rate of people who have never smoked.

The proportion of deaths attributed to smoking among Chinese men aged 40 to 79 had doubled from about 10 per cent in the early 1990s to 20 per cent today, the researchers said.

Oxford University's Richard Peto, one of the study's authors, said tobacco deaths in Western countries had been dropping for 20 years, partly because of stiff price rises. "For China, a substantial increase in cigarette prices could save tens of millions of lives," he said.

Smoking gun: one in three young men in China will die from tobacco, study says | South China Morning Post

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Report: Smoking industry harming economic health

Simple solution implemented in the US:

Price of a pack of cigarettes in NYC (has the highest "sin" tax in the country)

What did one of the nations largest retail chains do:
CVS stops selling cigarettes: It wants to be taken seriously as a health care company.

But it can be an uphill battle
Producer’s Blog: Why are so many smokers Asian? | Al Jazeera America

 

[ahojunk]

I am proud that my country Australia is the first to mandate plain packaging for cigarettes. More countries should follow Australia's lead.

Examples of plain packaging:-

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Plain packaging pivotal for tobacco products: WHO
2016-06-01 10:37 | Xinhua | Editor: Mo Hong'e

As World No Tobacco day is marked Tuesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlighted the benefits of introducing plain packaging on tobacco products, a measure which saves lives by reducing consumer demand.

"Plain packaging reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products. It kills the glamour, which is appropriate for a product that kills people," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan in a statement.

"It restricts tobacco advertising and promotion. It limits misleading packaging and labelling. And it increases the effectiveness of health warnings," she added.

To date, Australia is the only country to have fully implemented plain packaging. France and Britain have recently started implementation while Ireland is preparing to introduce the reform.

A number of other countries are also exploring the option whose positive effects on smoking trends have been documented in Australia.

According to figures, the introduction of plain packaging in the country led to an additional 0.55 percentage point fall in smoking prevalence among those aged 14 and above between 2012 and 2015.

This is the equivalent to over 108,000 people quitting, not relapsing or not starting to smoke during the period, WHO explained.

Plain packaging works by reducing the intrinsic appeal of tobacco products by restricting or prohibiting logos, colours, brand images and promotional information.

Recommended by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat, it is integral to a holistic approach to tobacco control that includes health warnings and bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

The tobacco industry has long fought against such reforms by carrying out misinformation campaigns to block plain packaging, Director of WHO's Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases Douglas Bettcher explained.

"It is encouraging to see more and more countries defy the industry's tactics and implement plain packaging to reduce demand for tobacco products and put the health of their populations first," he said.

According to WHO, almost 6 million people die every year because of tobacco products.

 

[ahojunk]

I support the total ban on smoking, period.

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Shanghai proposes stricter smoking ban
2016-07-28 14:27 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

East China's Shanghai, the mainland's first municipality to pass legislation on tobacco controls, is proposing stricter smoking bans at hotels, restaurants, airports and other public venues.

Under a draft revision to the city's tobacco control rule that took effect in March 2010, all indoor areas of hotels, restaurants, airports, railway stations and ports will ban smoking. The existing version allows designated areas for smokers in these places.

Municipal legislators reviewed the bill on Thursday at a session of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Congress, the local legislature.

The amendment would ban smoking in outdoor audience seating and performance venues, outdoor areas of protected cultural heritage sites and crowded waiting areas for public transportation.

Xue Mingyang, chairperson of the municipal legislature's education,science, culture and public health committee, proposed that a requirement for self-discipline be added to the revision by stipulating that "no one may smoke in banned areas, and smokers should try to avoid others when smoking at venues without bans."

He also suggested a smoking ban for queues as people stand very close to each other, leading to second-hand smoke.

The revision represents progress in tobacco control, but more efforts are needed for the legislature to pass it, said Fu Hua, a professor in public health at Fudan University.

China has 316 million smokers, with another 740 million exposed to second-hand smoke. In 2015, about 733,000 Chinese were diagnosed with smoking-related lung cancer.

At least 16 Chinese cities, including Beijing, have passed their own tobacco control rules. The State Council, China's cabinet, unveiled a draft regulation on smoking controls at public venues in late 2014 to solicit public opinions.

Beijing, the capital and home to more than four million adult smokers, rolled out what has been deemed the strictest smoking ban in the city's history on June 1, 2015, prohibiting smoking in indoor public places, workplaces and public transportation.

 

[ahojunk]

I am a non-smoker and I hate cigarette smoke. This is excellent news.

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Two strikes, you're out (for a while)! China's high-speed rails to smokers
Source:Global Times Published: 2016/8/16 19:53:39


Train passengers caught smoking two times on China's high-speed rails now face a temporary ban from buying tickets.

Since August 15, riders aboard high-speed trains who are spotted puffing in non-designated smoking areas not only face an up to 2,000 yuan ($320), on-the-spot fine, but also will be flagged for the violation in China's ticketing database, according to the new China Railway Engineering Corporation regulation.

The first-time offenders will be required to sign an "agreement" at a railway service center in order to purchase their next ticket.

A second offense results in a ban from high-speed (G, D, C class train) ticket purchases both at station windows and online.

The length of the ban was not reported.

The rule does not apply to travel on conventional rail (Z, T, K class trains).

The regulation sparked debate on social media, particularly over the length of the ban.

Some suggested incremental bans based on severity of the case between one and 10 years.

Numerous smoke detectors are installed throughout high-speed rail trains, including cabins, toilets and dining cars, a railway insider told the Yangtze Evening News.

 

[ahojunk]

Brilliant idea using available technology to help in enforcing the smoking ban.

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WeChat platform to help further stem public smoking in Beijing
2016-09-19 16:30Ecns.cn | Editor: Mo Hong'e

(ECNS) -- Beijing's anti-smoking campaign has added a new weapon -- WeChat, China's biggest Internet-based mobile messaging platform -- to allow easier reporting of smokers, Beijing News reported.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning said the public can now report illegal smoking through a newly opened account on WeChat, mobile phone software that is increasingly used by companies and organizations to facilitate interaction.

In the Chinese language WeChat account wuyanbeijing, literally meaning smoke-free Beijing, a follower can submit information regarding the spotting of smokers, entities responsible for imposing smoke controls, detailed addresses and other information.

A user can also upload photos to the reporting platform. Once this is submitted, a marker will turn blue on a map alerting volunteers of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association to help address the complaint.

The account also allows followers to check anti-smoking information of a specific organization on a map. A flashing blue light means a unit complained three times at most, orange for three to five times and red for over five times.

The capital city already enforces China's strictest anti-smoking laws, banning smoking in all indoor public spaces, work areas and outdoor places like schools, hospitals and tourist spots.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Brilliant idea using available technology to help in enforcing the smoking ban.

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WeChat platform to help further stem public smoking in Beijing
2016-09-19 16:30Ecns.cn | Editor: Mo Hong'e

(ECNS) -- Beijing's anti-smoking campaign has added a new weapon -- WeChat, China's biggest Internet-based mobile messaging platform -- to allow easier reporting of smokers, Beijing News reported.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning said the public can now report illegal smoking through a newly opened account on WeChat, mobile phone software that is increasingly used by companies and organizations to facilitate interaction.

In the Chinese language WeChat account wuyanbeijing, literally meaning smoke-free Beijing, a follower can submit information regarding the spotting of smokers, entities responsible for imposing smoke controls, detailed addresses and other information.

A user can also upload photos to the reporting platform. Once this is submitted, a marker will turn blue on a map alerting volunteers of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association to help address the complaint.

The account also allows followers to check anti-smoking information of a specific organization on a map. A flashing blue light means a unit complained three times at most, orange for three to five times and red for over five times.

The capital city already enforces China's strictest anti-smoking laws, banning smoking in all indoor public spaces, work areas and outdoor places like schools, hospitals and tourist spots.

While it may seem insurmountable it is possible. Smoking used to be very common here in the US. However they have done an excellent job at eradicating it...but not without a lot of screaming. It's very rare to see someone smoking these days.

Some little things (beyond what has already been mentioned) that helped...
1) Removed ashtrays/lighters from autos (used to be 1 ashtray in every door and seatback and 2 in the dashboard...so that was about 8 per car!!)
2) Completely banned cigarette vending machines
3) Required people could only smoke in designated outside areas unprotected from the rain/snow (usually in some back alley)
4) raised their health/life insurance premiums
5) made smoke alarms mandatory in living areas.
6) discourage smoking on tv shows/movies

 

[TaiShang]

Brilliant idea using available technology to help in enforcing the smoking ban.

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WeChat platform to help further stem public smoking in Beijing
2016-09-19 16:30Ecns.cn | Editor: Mo Hong'e

(ECNS) -- Beijing's anti-smoking campaign has added a new weapon -- WeChat, China's biggest Internet-based mobile messaging platform -- to allow easier reporting of smokers, Beijing News reported.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning said the public can now report illegal smoking through a newly opened account on WeChat, mobile phone software that is increasingly used by companies and organizations to facilitate interaction.

In the Chinese language WeChat account wuyanbeijing, literally meaning smoke-free Beijing, a follower can submit information regarding the spotting of smokers, entities responsible for imposing smoke controls, detailed addresses and other information.

A user can also upload photos to the reporting platform. Once this is submitted, a marker will turn blue on a map alerting volunteers of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association to help address the complaint.

The account also allows followers to check anti-smoking information of a specific organization on a map. A flashing blue light means a unit complained three times at most, orange for three to five times and red for over five times.

The capital city already enforces China's strictest anti-smoking laws, banning smoking in all indoor public spaces, work areas and outdoor places like schools, hospitals and tourist spots.

This should go nationwide. I would even propose establishing a supra-body to oversight and enforce the law nationally with enough powers to propose science-based new rules.

In fighting smoking (and alcohol), the entertainment (TV-Radio-Internet) aspect of it also should not be ruled out.

Obviously, it is gonna be a tougher battle in Mainland China -- perhaps more difficult than anti-corruption drive.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

This should go nationwide. I would even propose establishing a supra-body to oversight and enforce the law nationally with enough powers to propose science-based new rules.

In fighting smoking (and alcohol), the entertainment (TV-Radio-Internet) aspect of it also should not be ruled out.

Obviously, it is gonna be a tougher battle in Mainland China -- perhaps more difficult than anti-corruption drive.

Well you really have to go the heavy-handed route like we did. Ban cigarette advertisements on tv/internet/magazines/billboards/sports arenas/etc. Then put so much tax on it that it raises the price 600%. Then you start pressuring stores not to sell it easily by requiring them to be "behind the counter" instead of on shelves with the regular stuff.