ND1102116

Title: Chinese Smokers Ignore Ban

Description: Spotty enforcement by officials has made smoking bans ineffective.

Page Content:

BEIJING ? Smoking bans in China are largely symbolic, China Daily reports. Half of China?s cities restricting public smoking, but many smokers simply puff away because of lax enforcement.

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With the central government raking in 7.27 percent of its total revenue in 2010 from tobacco taxes and profits, officials are reticent to implement bans. The government has been conducting surprise visits to little impact. ?I think these so-called surprise inspections are just another showcase,? said Li Ziliu, a former mayor of Guangzhou, during a conference about that city?s smoking rules. ?Tobacco control needs to start with government leaders.?

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Currently, there is no national regulation prohibiting smoking anywhere, and the country failed to ban smoking in indoor public places by Jan. 9, a deadline China had said it would meet under the World Health Organization?s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. That treaty went into effect in China in 2006.

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Experts point to the government?s lack of resolve when it comes to ban enforcement. ?The introduction of tobacco-control law and regulations is bound to affect some of the benefits of some government departments, resulting in some changes,? said Cui Xiaobo, a professor at Capital Medical University.

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China is the number-one producer and consumer of tobacco in the world. In Yunnan, the biggest tobacco-producing province, 77.81 percent of the city?s revenue came from tobacco taxes in 2010.

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Content Subject: International

Formatted Article Date: November 2, 2011

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