Shanghai stubs out smoking indoors
Chinese lawmakers and political advisors in Beijing for their annual meetings said they will push for a national indoor smoking ban.
Shanghai on Wednesday became the latest major Chinese city to ban smoking in all indoor public venues, workplaces, and public transportation. Smokers who break the ban can be fined up to 200 yuan (N$380), and venue owners may be fined up to 30 000 yuan (N$56 800). Shen Jinjin, a national lawmaker, said local experiments had paved the way to roll out the ban nationwide.
Shen, a disease control official in eastern Jiangsu Province, said smoking control in public places is the most effective way to reduce second-hand smoke exposure.
There are over 300 million smokers and 740 million people exposed to second-hand smoke in China. Tobacco control legislation faced strong resistance in the past. Only recently has it received more support thanks to growing public health awareness.
Kong Qian, mother of a two-year-old in Shanghai, said her family often spots smokers puffing in restaurants.
“Sometimes I try to tell them to stub out their cigarettes,” she said. “If they don't, I walk away.”
“Now we finally have a legal basis to defend ourselves,” Kong said.
Shanghai is not the first major Chinese city to issue such a ban. Beijing enforced its own ban nearly two years ago.
Lawmakers like Shen said such a ban should go beyond big cities to the rest of the country for the sake of people's health.
In November 2014, the legal affairs office of the State Council solicited public opinion for the first draft of a smoking control regulation. To date the draft is still in the making. Health authorities said earlier that they would continue to promote deliberation of the draft this year.
China has set a target to reduce the smoking rate among people aged 15 and above to 20% by 2030 according to the “Healthy China 2030” blueprint issued by the central authorities last October.
“A national smoke-free law will protect people's health to a large extent and help realise the target set out by the blueprint,” said another health expert.
NAMPA/XINHUA
Shanghai on Wednesday became the latest major Chinese city to ban smoking in all indoor public venues, workplaces, and public transportation. Smokers who break the ban can be fined up to 200 yuan (N$380), and venue owners may be fined up to 30 000 yuan (N$56 800). Shen Jinjin, a national lawmaker, said local experiments had paved the way to roll out the ban nationwide.
Shen, a disease control official in eastern Jiangsu Province, said smoking control in public places is the most effective way to reduce second-hand smoke exposure.
There are over 300 million smokers and 740 million people exposed to second-hand smoke in China. Tobacco control legislation faced strong resistance in the past. Only recently has it received more support thanks to growing public health awareness.
Kong Qian, mother of a two-year-old in Shanghai, said her family often spots smokers puffing in restaurants.
“Sometimes I try to tell them to stub out their cigarettes,” she said. “If they don't, I walk away.”
“Now we finally have a legal basis to defend ourselves,” Kong said.
Shanghai is not the first major Chinese city to issue such a ban. Beijing enforced its own ban nearly two years ago.
Lawmakers like Shen said such a ban should go beyond big cities to the rest of the country for the sake of people's health.
In November 2014, the legal affairs office of the State Council solicited public opinion for the first draft of a smoking control regulation. To date the draft is still in the making. Health authorities said earlier that they would continue to promote deliberation of the draft this year.
China has set a target to reduce the smoking rate among people aged 15 and above to 20% by 2030 according to the “Healthy China 2030” blueprint issued by the central authorities last October.
“A national smoke-free law will protect people's health to a large extent and help realise the target set out by the blueprint,” said another health expert.
NAMPA/XINHUA
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