Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-03-03
Tourists smoking outside the Forbidden City in Beijing, Jan. 2. (Photo/CNS) |
China can
prevent 13 million smoking-related deaths by 2050 if the country fully
implements policies recommended by the World Health Organization Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control, according to a recently published piece of
research.
The report,
published Feb. 18 on the website of the BMJ Group, a subsidiary of the British
Medical Association, was conducted by researchers working in China and Canada,
who used a version of the SimSmoke Tobacco Control Policy model to come up with
these conclusions.
Statistics
from China's National Health and Family Planning Commission showed that the
country was the world's largest tobacco producer and consumer, with over 300
million smokers, which is a third of the global smoking population.
Over 1 million
Chinese die of smoking-related diseases and 100,000 of these are caused by
passive smoking every year, according to government data.
The report
estimates that if China increased cigarette taxes to 75% of package price,
smoking prevalence could see a reduction of 13% by 2050, while smoke-free air
laws and a well-enforced marketing ban could also yield immediate results.
China will
see 50 million smoking related deaths between 2015 and 2050, if the government
lets the current situation continue by doing nothing, the report projected.
Since China
joined the convention in 2006, Caixin Online's business news webportal reports
that the government has failed to carry out its promise to take active measures
to reduce exposure to smoke in public areas by Jan. 9, 2011.
Besides a
lack of national laws on tobacco control, local regulations banning smoking at
public venues have been poorly enforced, Caixin stated.
Recent
developments have shown the possible progress to be made by the government,
however, the news website reported. National Health and Family Planning
Commission spokesman Mao Qunan said on Jan. 7 that the government will make an
effort to introduce a ban on smoking in public and indoor spaces this year.
The State
Council also issued a notice on Dec. 29 last year including a ban on government
leaders at all levels smoking in schools, hospitals, cultural and sports venues
and on public transportation.
The ban
also covered all official occasions, Caixin stated, and prohibits spending
government funds on tobacco.''
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