CHINA, the world鈥檚 largest consumer of cigarettes, is having another crack at kicking the habit. The Chinese government has announced it will from May.
Businesses will have to put no-smoking signs on prominent display and carry out promotional activities warning people of the dangers of smoking.
It鈥檚 a promising move, says at the University of Sydney, Australia. He says experience in Australia, Canada and throughout Europe suggests an indoor ban on smoking reduces daily tobacco consumption by 20 per cent. 鈥淲hile people might smoke a little more before or after work, this does not make up for the smoking opportunities lost during their working day.鈥�
Advertisement
But China鈥檚 past record on anti-smoking measures is patchy at best. In January it . And a survey of over 12,000 Chinese citizens published last year found that 41.1 per cent of smokers admitted to lighting up at work despite smoke-free policies (Tobacco Control, ).
Chapman says raising the price of cigarettes would be a better strategy. Despite government plans to increase tobacco taxes, Chinese cigarettes remain among the cheapest in the world.
