Home
» City specials
» Hangzhou
City gears up to police strong smoking bans
February 5, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A no-smoking law comes into effect throughout Hangzhou on March 1 when lighting up will be banned in most public places and offenders will be fined, Xu Wenwen reports. Smoking will be banned in certain public areas in Hangzhou, such as hospitals, supermarkets, bars and on buses, from March 1. People will be entitled to stop others smoking or lighting cigarettes in public places and offenders will be liable to a fine of 50 yuan (US$7.32).
The ban will operate as a result of the recently approved "The Bylaw on Smoking Control in Public Areas of Hangzhou" passed by the Standing Committee of Hangzhou Municipal People's Congress and Standing Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress.
The bylaw forbids not only smoking but also holding a burning cigarette, cigar or pipe.
Hangzhou's smokers number around 2.5 million people, accounting for about 35 percent of the permanent resident population, according to Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The center says the trend of young people smoking is growing and 39.7 percent of adolescents suffer from passive smoking.
The strict law to forbid smoking in public areas appears to have been favorably received.
"I always hate people smoking in public places like shopping malls and supermarkets," says 54-year-old Hangzhou resident Zhao Songying who never smokes.
The law is also supported by occasional smoker Bob Gong, an engineer working in a tobacco company. "Though it may interfere with tobacco sales, I personally think it's understandable, and it's good for the smokers and people around them."
The bylaw is a revision of another smoking-ban law carried out by the city in 1995. The old law mainly banned outdoor tobacco or cigarette advertising, selling of tobacco or cigarettes on World No Tobacco Day (May 13) and smoking in major public areas of the city.
The first two provisions remain well implemented but the last was not so successful. Though people cannot smoke at train stations, airports and hospitals except in designated areas, many forget they cannot smoke in pubs, restaurants or KTVs.
The law's poor enforcement led to inefficient supervision, and weak social awareness brought about public indifference.
Now, the Hangzhou Health Bureau has modified some provisions and been more specific on control.
Since the bureau doesn't have enough inspectors to monitor every smoker, the bureau will empower different organizations to enforce the bylaw.
For example, transportation management will enforce the law at bus stations.
The bureau will also encourage people to stop others smoking.
Anyone who sees someone smoking in a public place can ask them to put it out. If the smoker refuses and keeps smoking, people can report them to the bureau and the smoker will be fined.
To ensure the law can be enforced from next month, the government plans to recruit 10,000 volunteers to publicize it and assist with enforcement.
Also, all social groups, public institutions and agencies are required to instruct their own personnel to control smoking.
Public areas where smoking will be banned include: medical institutions; cinemas, theaters and museums; kindergartens and schools; historical and cultural sites open to the public; taxis, buses and all public transport; elevators and underpasses; stadiums; conference rooms; parks and squares when meetings are being held.
The bylaw also specifies that designated indoor smoking areas need to be clearly defined. Otherwise the whole place will be deemed as a non-smoking area.
These include in supermarkets, shopping malls, amusement parlors and Internet cafes, social organizations, and offices, halls, auditoriums and canteens of public agencies and institutions.
Any business with a non-conforming smoking area or room will be warned or liable for a fine from 500 yuan to 2,000 yuan.
Merchants selling tobacco or cigarettes to juveniles below 18 years old or doing it on World No Tobacco Day also will be fined from 500 yuan to 2,000 yuan.
The law clarifies that venues like KTVs, dance halls and restaurants should set up designated non-smoking floors or room, and card and chess rooms and eateries with 50-plus seats should set up non-smoking sections.
The local government will soon distribute official warning signs to public places.
Shanghai's smoking-control bylaw will come into force at the same time as Hangzhou's, as the upcoming World Expo 2010 Shanghai is a "non-smoking event." The Shanghai government deters smoking, tobacco advertisements and tobacco sales in exhibition pavilions and designated hotels. Many public areas will also be non-smoking.
The lawmakers of both cities said they would eventually expand the scope of smoking bans.
The ban will operate as a result of the recently approved "The Bylaw on Smoking Control in Public Areas of Hangzhou" passed by the Standing Committee of Hangzhou Municipal People's Congress and Standing Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress.
The bylaw forbids not only smoking but also holding a burning cigarette, cigar or pipe.
Hangzhou's smokers number around 2.5 million people, accounting for about 35 percent of the permanent resident population, according to Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The center says the trend of young people smoking is growing and 39.7 percent of adolescents suffer from passive smoking.
The strict law to forbid smoking in public areas appears to have been favorably received.
"I always hate people smoking in public places like shopping malls and supermarkets," says 54-year-old Hangzhou resident Zhao Songying who never smokes.
The law is also supported by occasional smoker Bob Gong, an engineer working in a tobacco company. "Though it may interfere with tobacco sales, I personally think it's understandable, and it's good for the smokers and people around them."
The bylaw is a revision of another smoking-ban law carried out by the city in 1995. The old law mainly banned outdoor tobacco or cigarette advertising, selling of tobacco or cigarettes on World No Tobacco Day (May 13) and smoking in major public areas of the city.
The first two provisions remain well implemented but the last was not so successful. Though people cannot smoke at train stations, airports and hospitals except in designated areas, many forget they cannot smoke in pubs, restaurants or KTVs.
The law's poor enforcement led to inefficient supervision, and weak social awareness brought about public indifference.
Now, the Hangzhou Health Bureau has modified some provisions and been more specific on control.
Since the bureau doesn't have enough inspectors to monitor every smoker, the bureau will empower different organizations to enforce the bylaw.
For example, transportation management will enforce the law at bus stations.
The bureau will also encourage people to stop others smoking.
Anyone who sees someone smoking in a public place can ask them to put it out. If the smoker refuses and keeps smoking, people can report them to the bureau and the smoker will be fined.
To ensure the law can be enforced from next month, the government plans to recruit 10,000 volunteers to publicize it and assist with enforcement.
Also, all social groups, public institutions and agencies are required to instruct their own personnel to control smoking.
Public areas where smoking will be banned include: medical institutions; cinemas, theaters and museums; kindergartens and schools; historical and cultural sites open to the public; taxis, buses and all public transport; elevators and underpasses; stadiums; conference rooms; parks and squares when meetings are being held.
The bylaw also specifies that designated indoor smoking areas need to be clearly defined. Otherwise the whole place will be deemed as a non-smoking area.
These include in supermarkets, shopping malls, amusement parlors and Internet cafes, social organizations, and offices, halls, auditoriums and canteens of public agencies and institutions.
Any business with a non-conforming smoking area or room will be warned or liable for a fine from 500 yuan to 2,000 yuan.
Merchants selling tobacco or cigarettes to juveniles below 18 years old or doing it on World No Tobacco Day also will be fined from 500 yuan to 2,000 yuan.
The law clarifies that venues like KTVs, dance halls and restaurants should set up designated non-smoking floors or room, and card and chess rooms and eateries with 50-plus seats should set up non-smoking sections.
The local government will soon distribute official warning signs to public places.
Shanghai's smoking-control bylaw will come into force at the same time as Hangzhou's, as the upcoming World Expo 2010 Shanghai is a "non-smoking event." The Shanghai government deters smoking, tobacco advertisements and tobacco sales in exhibition pavilions and designated hotels. Many public areas will also be non-smoking.
The lawmakers of both cities said they would eventually expand the scope of smoking bans.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
