Smoking in China
In China, smoking and the sale of cigarettes is legally allowed, and they can be purchased online, but buying them from vending machines is not permitted. Importing cigarettes for trade is allowed with a license. However, there is a complete ban on all tobacco advertising, and health warnings on cigarette packaging are required. The minimum legal age for purchasing cigarettes is 18 years, and there are legal restrictions on smoking in public places as well. Cigarettes are subject to a total taxation rate of 52% with a specific excise component of 0.98%. As of 2024, China had an estimated 288.3 million current adult smokers, with an adult smoking prevalence of 24.4%. Among males, the smoking prevalence was 46.4%, and among females, it was only 1.9%. The number of daily smokers was approximately 256.9 million, with an adult daily smoking prevalence of 20.3%—38.6% among males and 1.3% among females. According to 2021 data, tobacco smoking caused about 2.7 million deaths in China—2.2 million among males and 490,700 among females. This presents that smoking accounted for 22.78% of all deaths in the country, including 31.81% of male deaths and 10.11% of female deaths.
Read articles from China
February 13, 2019 by scmp.com
Hong Kong pushes ahead with blanket ban on e-cigarettes, with maximum penalty of six months in jail and HK$50,000 fine
A bill to amend the Smoking Ordinance targeting alternative cigarettes, which the government hopes will nip the habit in the bud before it becomes entrenched in the city, was submitted to the Legislative Council on Wednesday [...]
The near-total ban makes good on a pledge by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in her second policy address. Her remarks back then sparked debate over whether such measures would be effective in reducing smoking, and raised questions about the administration’s drastic change in policy from regulation to a ban.
December 21, 2018 by thejakartapost.com
Ban on smoking in public places faces new problem - e-cigarettes
E-cigarettes are increasingly used by smokers in China, but there are currently no national regulations on their use, China Daily reported Thursday.
The Beijing Tobacco Control Association has received a growing number of reports and complaints about e-cigarettes being used in public places. However, the existing control regulation in the capital city covers only traditional tobacco products that are lighted, the report said.
December 21, 2018 by theregister.co.uk
Introducing 'Happy Quit', where Chinese smokers are text-spammed into nicotine abstinence
Distracting and nagging text messages help smokers stop smoking, Chinese researchers have found.
In a clinical trial, smokers who agreed to join a cessation programme were divided into three groups. One received a high volume (five a day) of cognitive behavioural therapy-based personalised SMS messages, another a lower volume of the same messages (one to three a week), and the control group received none at all.
The groups blasted by texts reported more success at giving up than the control group.
November 20, 2018 by scmp.com
Hong Kong’s burgeoning e-cigarette industry on the precipice as city mulls total ban
In just over two years Thomas McRae watched his business expand from an online shop to three stores in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. He sells e-cigarettes, which have taken off in a big way in the city and worldwide in recent years.
The Hong Kong Vape Association, founded in 2015, now has about 100 members, covering around 50 shops, 20 wholesalers and 30 manufacturers of e-cigarette products.
November 07, 2018 by globaltimes.cn
Cities mull ban on e-cigarettes in public even though China is the biggest producer
E-cigarettes are a booming industry in China. Although China only had a 6 percent share in the consumption of e-cigarettes in the world as of 2016, according to a report by Chinese consulting firm ASKCI Consulting, about 90 percent of e-cigarettes in the world are manufactured in China, mostly in Shenzhen. Most of these e-cigarettes are exported to countries in North America and Europe. Its invention is also deeply connected with China. [...]
September 10, 2018 by reason.com
Next Round of Tariffs Could Making Vaping More Expensive
Before the end of the week, President Donald Trump could order a new round of taxes on Chinese imports, and electronic cigarettes could be among the products targeted. Those higher import taxes on e-cigarettes would raise prices for consumers, strike a blow against public health in America, and jeopardize the future of a vaping industry that may not have ever come into being without the free exchange of goods and ideas across international borders. While it remains unclear whether e-cigarettes will be included in any future round of tariffs, vaping industry representatives argue that raising taxes on vapers would be a serious mistake.
August 30, 2018 by ejinsight.com
How should policymakers approach e-cigarettes?
The Hong Kong government is proud of its tobacco control efforts. The rate of smoking among the adult population is now below 20 percent. Officials believe they can get the number down to below 10 percent in the years ahead.
This generally positive trend has been disrupted by new technology. Some time ago, the tobacco industry saw its business starting to decline, especially in the developed world. It started to research products that would be less harmful to users, or annoying to others.
August 09, 2018 by medicinenet.com
Breast-Feeding Suffers in Homes With Smokers: Study
New mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home stop breast-feeding sooner than those in smoke-free households, researchers report. The study included more than 1,200 new mothers in Hong Kong, where Tarrant used to teach. The new findings were consistent with previous studies. The findings suggest that it's a good idea for others in the home to quit smoking before a woman gets pregnant, and to avoid it until she is no longer breast-feeding.
August 09, 2018 by investing.com
Tariffs On Chinese Goods Could Batter The U.S. Vaping Industry
Proposed tariffs on U.S. imports from China of electronic cigarettes, known as vaping products, could not come at a worse time for the industry. New levies would increase prices just as the industry is facing slowing growth and as it begins to add new health warnings to packaging. The Trump administration has threatened 25 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, including vape devices and parts, in addition to tariffs on $50 billion already imposed. As a result U.S. vape manufacturers, who (..)
August 03, 2018 by cgtn.com
Chinese tobacco regulators call for ban on e-cigarettes
Chinese tobacco regulators are calling for comprehensive awareness and control on electronic cigarettes – an alternative to cigarettes which currently operates in a regulatory gray area under the country’s nationwide ban for public smoking, [...]
"We are currently calling for relevant departments to look into regulation for standardized control on e-cigarettes and prohibit its public use like tobacco," says Zhang Jianshu, president of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association.