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Review smoking-ban measures

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-07 07:40

Five years have passed since the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control came into force in 2005 and China pledged to make all public places smoking-free zones from January 2011. It's time for the government to review its achievement, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

The government took up the ambitious project of making public places smoking-free zones in five years. But the reverse seems to be happening. The rate of smoking among people has not fallen significantly.

In fact, tobacco production in the country has gone up.

No wonder, the efficacy of the tobacco control measures has come under fire.

It's time the government reviewed its tobacco control measures of the past five years.

Some media outlets may have jumped the gun when they said that the authorities have failed to curb the use of tobacco because of weak regulations. Despite not being based on authoritative sources, such arguments should make the authorities reflect on what actually has happened.

Some government officials were speaking the truth when they said that making all public places smoking-free zones would take generations.It is important, however, for the authorities to review the effectiveness and adequacy of their measures to make public places truly smoking-free areas.