Are bans on smoking in public places effective?

Publicity for Shanghai's new smoking control regulations at the Shanghai World Expo Park on March 1, 2017 [Photo: page.com]

Shanghai launches tough city smoking ban

Shanghai has brought in a smoking ban for all indoor public spaces, workplaces and on public transport from March 1, 2017.

Smoking is also prohibited in outdoor places such as kindergartens, schools, maternal and child health care institutes, children's hospitals, concert halls, at stadiums, culture relic protection sites, and at waiting areas for public transport.

Smoking is forbidden in all indoor areas under the new regulations. [File photo: baidu.com]

The new rules stipulate that any work places that violate the rule could be fined anything from 2,000 to 30,000 yuan. Individuals who smoke in the aforementioned areas and who refuse to stop smoking after requests to stop will face a fine ranging from 50 to 200 yuan.

Residents are able to dial a hotline number - 12345 - to report illegal smoking.

Are we all under smoking ban protection?

Shanghai is not the first city to implement a tough smoking ban. Two years ago, Beijing imposed a similar smoking ban on June 1, 2015. Shenzhen followed in the capital's footsteps on the first day of this year. Another 15 cities have less strict bans.

No-smoking posters were put on the Bird's Nest Stadium two days before the implementation of Beijing's smoking control regulations on May 30, 2015. [File photo: cri.cn]

The country's top authorities started soliciting opinions on a 'Rule on National Smoking Control in Public' in November 2014. But so far there is no national rule in this field.

At present, only 18 cities have smoking bans or controls, covering ten percent of China's total population, said Jiang Yuan, who's in charge of smoking control at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Smoking rates of China, Japan, United States and Russia in 2010. The data for China, Russia and Japan is from separate reports submitted to the WTO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The data for the United States is from the domestic Ministry of Health. [File photo: easttobacco.com]

Jiang also says 100,000 Chinese people die every year from second hand or passive smoking.

China now has more than 300 million smokers, said Shen Jin, director of the Jiangsu Provincial Disease Control and Prevention, with 740 non-smokers suffering from the effects of passive smoking. Over half of men smoke while only 2.4 percent of women are smokers.

Smoking rates of China, Japan, United States and Russia in 2010. The data for China, Russia and Japan is from separate reports submitted to the WTO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The data for the United States is from the domestic Ministry of Health. [File photo: easttobacco.com]

Negative Health Effects of Smoking

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. About 70 of them are known to cause cancer. Smoking cigarettes is the number-one risk factor for lung cancer.

Smokers have a three to four times greater risk of coronary heart disease than non-smokers, and have a nearly four times higher risk of cerebral hemorrhage and suffering a stroke.

A small scale survey conducted in 2013 reveals the age distribution of the Chinese smoking population. [File photo: easttobacco.com]

Smoking costs six million lives annually, according the World Health Organization, ten percent of whom are the victim of second-hand smoking.

Public support

A survey conducted by the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, which covered more than 11,000 residents in ten major cities, showed that about 92 percent respondents support a full smoking ban in indoor public places, workplaces and on public transport facilities.

Smoking has been prohibited in Shanghai's two airports since October 30, 2016. [File photo: baidu.com]

69 percent of respondents are satisfied with the outcome of smoking controls on public transport facilities, while less than half of those questioned were satisfied with that in public places.

Up to 95 percent of the respondents said they are aware of the harm of passive smoking.

Difficulties

But it's still quite common to see people lighting up in places where smoking is prohibited. One smoker, surnamed Zhang, said he doesn't care if it's indoors or outdoors in public places, he smokes wherever he wants, except in restaurants as there are no ashtrays there.

Suggestions

The authorities should coordinate to promote a smoking ban by various means, and strengthen enforcement teams, said commentator Xu Xinming, with supervision and enforcement as strict as it is on drunk driving.

A no-smoking sign in a Shanghai shopping mall [Photo: Chinanews.com]

Shanghai, for example, has printed 1.5 million smoking ban logos and 3.2 million smoking ban promotional posters. The authorities have been recruiting volunteers to promote the tough ban.