chinaA lawmaker recently proposed a bill that he knew would not pass to the National People's Congress. Mr. Chen is hoping that "when the time is ripe the NPC should even enact a law on the ban." I like the word "even" in that sentence. Makes the idea of the law sound a little crazy. What is the proposed ban? A restriction on smoking in public places in China.
Similar anti-smoking laws have passed throughout North America and Europe. But it is far-fetched to expect such a law to pass in China because many, if not most, of China's cigarette factories are still state owned. In fact, the Chinese government is the largest producer of cigarettes in the world. China's provincial and regional governments have a vested interest in the success and continued social acceptability of smoking and thus public smoking.
Mr. Chen is banging his head against a brick wall. I'd say he has no chance of success in the next ten years except for one thing: smoking is a massive problem for China. 1 in 3 of the world's cigarettes smoked are in China and 20% of Chinese smoke (350 million Chinese smokers). Two out of three Chinese men smoke. Half of China's population is subject to second-hand smoke. Smoking is the leading cause of death in middle-aged Chinese.
The current situation of Chinese law on smoking is improving in some areas and stagnating in others. Laws have come out that have made it illegal to create a new cigarette factory and impose strict controls on existing tobacco production. However, though it is illegal to sell cigarettes to minors, the law does not specify punishment for vendors who sell to minors. So it's against the law to sell cigarettes to minors, but enforcement is far from strict.
What will a law that makes it illegal to smoke in public areas do? It will make it socially inacceptable to smoke in public. Right now smoking is acceptable everywhere, including areas where no smoking signs are prominent like trains, banks, and… antique book markets. During one trip to an outdoor antique book market, I saw a man leaning against a “no smoking” sign. He, of course, was puffing away nonchalantly. Smoking is so pervasive in China that it is simply accepted. The only place where no smoking signs matter is on planes—for obvious reasons.
If smoking is to be slowed down in China, limiting the number of factories is not going to do the job. The perspective of the Chinese about smoking will need to change. Banning smoking in public areas, and actually enforcing these bans, will let people know that smoking around other people and exposing people to second-hand smoke is not ok and that smoking really is dangerous to health. This law's acceptance is several years down the road, but I do think it is a good idea to start spreading the concept of restricting public smoking.
