WHO calls for national legislation on tobacco
Print Edition
SECOND-HAND smoke is causing more than 100,000 deaths a year in China and the World Health Organization is calling on the government to enact a national tobacco control law.
A report, jointly released by the WHO, the World Trade Organization, the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, says that around a million people die from tobacco-related illnesses in China every year, a number that could rise to some 3 million by 2050 if nothing was done.
It says Chinese citizens’ exposure to second-hand smoke is extraordinarily high, with 740 million non-smokers, including 182 million children, exposed to second-hand smoke at least once a day in a typical week.
“China is unfortunately a world leader in second-hand smoke exposure. Among the countries we work in, China has the highest rate of smoking in workplaces and homes, and among the highest rates in restaurants and bars,” said Dr Geoffrey Fong, principal investigator of the ITC project.
When comprehensive smoking bans are effectively implemented and supported, indoor smoking virtually disappears, Fong said, underlining China’s need to enact a law.
Dr Bernhard Schwartlander, the WHO’s representative in China, said the report demonstrated the urgent need for national legislation.
The report recognized Beijing’s efforts after they adopted the strongest smoke-free law in China, which requires all indoor places to be 100 percent smoke-free.
The law sets an excellent precedent for other Chinese cities, it said.
But Liang Xiaofeng, deputy director of the CCDCP, said although there were some smoke-free policies in other Chinese cities, they had been poorly enforced.
“We need stronger laws, effective enforcement and mass education campaigns to tell people about the dangers of inhaling second-hand smoke.”
The report found high levels of public support in China for stronger smoke-free policies, even among smokers.
Evidence from other countries shows that support will continue to grow after implementation of strong national smoke-free law, it said.
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