New Smoking Control Regulations in Hong Kong, China Are About To Be Released, And Queuing And Smoking Ban in Public Places Have Attracted Attention
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New smoking control regulations in Hong Kong, China are about to be released, and queuing and smoking ban in public places have attracted attention
The Hong Kong government will strengthen its tobacco control strategy and propose a series of short-term, medium-term and long-term tobacco control plans. Including banning smoking while queuing, increasing the warning area of tobacco packaging to 100%, banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, expanding non-smoking areas, and studying measures to ban the sale of cigarettes to people born after a certain year.
According to The Standard on June 5, the Hong Kong government will announce the results of the public consultation on the tobacco control strategy at a press conference today (6th). One of the upcoming measures includes marking tax-paid cigarettes one by one.
According to sources, the government will introduce a short-term measure, namely legislation to ban the public from smoking while queuing. This move is an alternative because the government finds it difficult to impose legal sanctions on people walking on the streets smoking, which is jokingly called "locomotive behavior" in the city.
It is reported that other short-term measures include:
Increasing the warning area of tobacco packaging from 85% to 100%, and the government will have full decision-making power over the content of the packaging.
Alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco will also be banned, and possession of such items will be considered illegal. (It is reported that Hong Kong has officially implemented the law banning e-cigarettes on April 30, 2022. According to the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, the import, promotion, manufacture, sale and commercial possession of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and their accessories are prohibited.)
No smoking areas will be expanded to schools, clinics and hospitals.
Providing tobacco products to teenagers and children under the age of 18 for free will also be considered illegal.
For the medium- and long-term strategy, the government has not yet determined a specific implementation timetable. However, the government said it will continue to study the ban on street smoking and the ban on the sale of cigarettes to people born after a certain year.
As early as 2023, the smoking rate in Hong Kong, China has dropped to 9.1%, and the Hong Kong government hopes to further reduce this figure to 7.8% next year.
It is understood that in addition to Health Minister Lo Chung-mau, today's press conference will also be attended by Customs Commissioner Louise Ho Pui-shan, Director of Health Ronald Lam Man-kin, Ministry of Health Deputy Secretary Eddie Lee Lik-kong and Director of the Alcohol and Tobacco Control Office Fung Ying.
