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Call for tougher punishment of smoking offenders
By Zhu Shenshen |
January 13, 2012, Friday
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Online Edition
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SHANGHAI should greatly increase punishment for smoking violations and restrict smoking spaces in public regions like restaurants and bars to help protect local residents from secondhand smoke, lawmakers at the city's top legislative body said today.
The city should also increase taxes on tobacco products and strengthen related advertisements, according to a proposal handed to the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress by Qian Liping, the congress's deputy and a lawyer at Shanghai-based Jun He Law firm.
More than a dozen other lawmakers have signed and endorsed the proposal by yesterday.
Punishment for individuals smoking in prohibited areas should increase to 2,000 yuan (US$317), compared with 50 to 200 yuan at present. Offenses should be recorded and subsequent offenses within the same year should carry heavier fines, according to the proposal.
"The current punishment is not severe enough. Most smokers don't care about it," said Qian.
Similar punishments in Hong Kong was 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$641) and US$400 to US$2,000 in the United States, the deputies said.
Meanwhile, restaurants and bars should reduce smoking areas to no more than 10 percent of their total floor space, which provides non-smoking consumers with a better environment.
Qian also proposed the establishment of a special organization to oversee smoking offenses and promote a no-smoking culture.
The city should also increase taxes on tobacco products and strengthen related advertisements, according to a proposal handed to the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress by Qian Liping, the congress's deputy and a lawyer at Shanghai-based Jun He Law firm.
More than a dozen other lawmakers have signed and endorsed the proposal by yesterday.
Punishment for individuals smoking in prohibited areas should increase to 2,000 yuan (US$317), compared with 50 to 200 yuan at present. Offenses should be recorded and subsequent offenses within the same year should carry heavier fines, according to the proposal.
"The current punishment is not severe enough. Most smokers don't care about it," said Qian.
Similar punishments in Hong Kong was 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$641) and US$400 to US$2,000 in the United States, the deputies said.
Meanwhile, restaurants and bars should reduce smoking areas to no more than 10 percent of their total floor space, which provides non-smoking consumers with a better environment.
Qian also proposed the establishment of a special organization to oversee smoking offenses and promote a no-smoking culture.
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