China is intensifying its efforts to control smoking, with 44 cities introducing or revising regulations in 2023. This brings the total number of cities with relevant smoking regulations to 254 nationwide, according to health authorities.
At the provincial level, 24 regions in China have implemented smoking regulations, increasing the proportion of the population protected by comprehensive smoke-free policies, experts from the National Health Commission (NHC) stated.
The data was unveiled during a ceremony in Beijing on Saturday, marking the inauguration of a committee led by medical institutions dedicated to tobacco control and health enhancement. A seminar was also held as part of the event.
Wang Lu, a health expert from the NHC, emphasized that efforts in smoking control, including prevention and cessation promotion, are effective for both population-wide disease prevention and individual healthcare.
China ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005 and enforced it in 2006. In 2016, the country outlined a plan to intensify tobacco control through pricing, taxation, and legislation. The plan also aims to actively promote smoke-free environments and strengthen supervision and law enforcement in public places, with the goal of reducing the nationwide smoking rate among individuals aged above 15 to 20 percent by 2030.
Recent years have seen active legislative efforts by local authorities to control tobacco. In Beijing, for instance, smoking is prohibited in public places, indoor workplaces, and outdoor queues. Shenzhen has banned smoking in indoor workplaces, indoor public places, public transportation vehicles, as well as outdoor areas in schools, parks, and medical institutions.
These relentless anti-smoking efforts have led to a decrease in the adult smoking rate, which has dropped to 19.4 percent in Shanghai. Nationwide, the smoking rate among the population aged 15 and above stood at 24.1 percent in 2022, down by 1.7 percentage points compared to 2020.
Wu Xiangtian, an official from the NHC, noted that China will continue to promote smoke-free environments and make health communication a focal point in disease treatment to help patients adopt healthy lifestyles. Additionally, the country will intensify scientific research into the epidemiology and clinical treatment of tobacco dependence.
Reference(s):
China intensifies smoking regulations with more cities clamping down
cgtn.com
