No time to waste in reducing the rate of smoking in Hong Kong
Smoking rates remain far too high in many communities around the world, where public health systems are left gasping under growing burdens related to ageing populations and climate change. It was good to see Hong Kong authorities take legislative steps recently to reduce smoking in the city further.
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The government's long-awaited anti-smoking bill was introduced for a first reading in the Legislative Council on April 30. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau told lawmakers the measures would be essential to protect public health.
The bill would ban the possession and use of alternative smoking products such as e-cigarettes in public. Those who bring illicit cigarettes into the city would face tougher penalties. Some non-smoking areas would be expanded and fines imposed on those caught smoking in queues for public transport or near some building entrances.
The government had vowed to pass 10 short-term measures to push the smoking rate below the current 9.1 per cent. Time is running out to reach a goal of 7.8 per cent by this year. While controversial, the move is in the public interest and worth pushing forward. If Legco passes the bill, new laws would go into effect in several stages. Among the earliest would be a New Year's Day implementation of a measure to double fines to HK$3,000 for smoking in prohibited areas.
A similar penalty was proposed for offenders under a ban on e-cigarettes to take effect in April 2026. Flavoured tobacco sales and a duty stamp system for cigarettes would start in the second quarter of 2027.
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Lo voiced concern that e-cigarettes and other alternatives were still accessible to young people even though their sale was already banned three years ago. Worryingly, some are found using the devices to abuse the recently banned drug, space oil.
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