Failure of tobacco control in China may learn from the U.S.

In the United States, not smoking is a trendy, smoking , a family would be subjected to dirty looks, but in China, quite the contrary. Saying the Chinese government in November 2003 and signed by the World Health Organization's "Framework Convention on Tobacco Control", under the "Convention" requires: China should be January 9, 2011 to achieve all indoor public places and indoor workplaces, public transport and other outdoor public places completely smoke-free. Can be watched until the deadline, and with impunity in the wrong place to puff smokers smoking is still everywhere, they are completely revel in being the kind to get high, and eventually became a great nation agreement in black and white empty - Smoking is clearly difficult to fulfill the promise. "Rain leaking bad enough," and more difficult to accept that not only smoking rates have not come down, "2010 Tobacco Control Report" that the last three years the number of second-hand smoking also increased by 2 million. Having said that, but the face of "Opium" threat to human health, the Chinese people do not stand idly by. In fact, all over have been issued "ban", but the implementation is ineffective; we can see, cigarette packs, "Smoking is harmful to health" after the reminder also add a "healthy quit smoking as soon as possible," the words ; civil servants, doctors and other professional has made an example, take the lead in smoking cessation. In other words, we made some positive attempts. Why does not see the practical results can it? Tobacco Control in China may learn from the U.S.. Although the United States is not in the "Framework Convention on Tobacco Control" sign, but done in tobacco control is not bad, and achieved good results. Compared with the United States, China, weak tobacco control based on the following several reasons: First, there is no specific legislation, administrative regulations, the binding of smokers is very weak, can not be disguised advertising ban; Second, taxation and price is not linked. Although the relative increase tobacco taxes, but only part of the price with the price of cigarettes, does not affect consumer buying; third is the lack of guiding public opinion to do, not let people on tobacco have a "scientific" understanding. This year in June, Obama signed a tobacco regulation bill, authorizing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) direct control of the tobacco industry. This is the 1971 ban on tobacco advertising in 1988 after the ban of smoking in the aircraft is another important legislation, tobacco control significance. Thus see that, in the United States of America across the Atlantic, the use of tobacco control legislation is an effective means of important ways. Second, in higher taxes on tobacco also increased while the price of cigarettes, which is internationally recognized as an extremely effective tobacco control measures; Third, give full play to the media's powerful radiation. The mass media continue to impart to the public knowledge of smoking and health, and promote the concept of smoking changes, by the formation of strong "anti-smoking" public pressure, and thus indirectly to tobacco control purposes. In fact not just in the U.S., as long as the focus on key tobacco control, they may be "the world smoke-free." For example, the world's only national ban on smoking in Bhutan, is a paper by the Act to tobacco completely serious, "castration" of the. China, the world's largest consumer and producer countries, more needs to draw Bhutan, the experience of the United States and other countries to break the "dirty ashtray" and usher in a fresh and healthy world. (Content of the article from t.sina.com.cn / xushiguang )