Smoking in China
In China, smoking and the sale of cigarettes is legal, and they can be purchased online, but buying 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%. 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
May 09, 2024 by colinmendelsohn.com.au
Will China stop supplying illegal vapes to Australia?
EMERITUS PROFESSOR SIMON CHAPMAN AND COLLEAGUES are predicting that illegal vapes will virtually disappear in Australia because the Chinese government requires “all exporters to obey the laws of the countries to which they are exporting”. A Chinese government report showed that the number of vapes leaving China for Australia fell by 93% in the first 2 months of 2024 after the disposable ban was introduced. According to Chapman, this is the ‘smoking gun’, and its “All over, red rover”. Seriously? There is so much wrong with this prediction.
February 16, 2024 by filtermag.org
Australia’s Vape Prohibition Replicates Drug-War Disasters
Australia's stringent anti-vaping stance has resulted in a thriving illicit market for vaping products, echoing the failures of drug bans in the past. Over 90% of Australia's 1.7 million adult vapers have turned to the illicit market due to harsh restrictions that require a nicotine prescription to vape legally. The illicit market in Australia is estimated to import 120 million unregulated vapes from China annually, with products sold openly without consumer protections. The profitability of illegal vapes has led to an intensifying turf war among organized trafficking networks, resulting in acts of violence and exploitation of marginalized recruits.
December 11, 2023 by qz.com
Lawmakers seek action against Elf Bar and other fruity e-cigarettes imported from China
House lawmakers are demanding information from federal officials on what they are doing to stop the recent influx of kid-appealing electronic cigarettes from China. Members of a new congressional committee on U.S.-China relations sent the request Thursday to Justice Department and Food and Drug Administration leaders, calling attention to “the extreme proliferation of illicit vaping products.”
December 06, 2023 by reuters.com
China e-cigarette titan behind 'Elf Bar' floods the U.S. with illegal vapes
A new breed of e-cigarette has addicted teenagers and confounded regulators worldwide by offering flavors like Blue Cotton Candy and Pink Lemonade in a cheap, disposable package. The tycoon dominating this latest wave is Zhang Shengwei, 50, a veteran of China’s vape industry in the southern manufacturing hub of Shenzhen. Most people have never heard of him. Zhang quietly rose over 15 years from a boutique exporter to become one of the world’s largest vape manufacturers. His main company, Heaven Gifts, now competes with industry giants Juul Labs Inc and British American Tobacco Plc (BATS.L) in the United States, the United Kingdom and across Europe.
August 25, 2023 by tobaccoinduceddiseases.org
E-Cigarette Awareness and Use, Among Adult Residents in Shanghai, China
The widespread popularity of e-cigarettes is considered an important public health concern. However, only some studies have investigated the prevalence of e-cigarette use in Shanghai, China. This study aimed to estimate e-cigarette awareness, prevalence, and associated factors among adults in Shanghai, China.
July 31, 2023 by 2firsts.com
THR Advocates Applaud China's New Regulatory Move
On June 20, 2023, the Office of the State Tobacco Administration sent out a notification on the "Guidelines for Promoting the Building of Quality Assurance Systems for Exported Electronic Cigarette Products", which the key points of the guidelines include: All e-cigarettes exported from China will need to comply with local regulatory legal requirements and need to be traceable throughout their inbound and outbound transport. All Chinese exports of e-cigarettes that are investigated by authorities overseas for quality issues must be reported to the Tobacco Administration where the manufacturer is located and be subject to relevant investigations. [...]
July 29, 2023 by halfwheel.com
HONG KONG CONSIDERING GENERATIONAL TOBACCO BAN, HIGHER TAXES, PLAIN PACKAGING & MORE
Hong Kong is considering banning those born after a certain date from ever being able to purchase tobacco products, introducing plain packaging for tobacco products, increasing tobacco taxes and more. It’s all being considered as part of a wide-ranging survey from the Hong Kong Health Bureau as part of its Public Consultation on Tobacco Control Strategies, a survey that takes place between July 12-Sept. 30, 2023. Hong Kong’s government has set a goal of reducing the percentage of adults who smoke from 9.5 percent in 2021 to 7.8 percent by 2025. [...]
July 13, 2023 by scmp.com
Increasing Hong Kong’s tobacco tax every year will effectively discourage smoking, says health secretary
Hong Kong’s health chief has said increasing tobacco taxes every year is an effective way to discourage smoking but has stressed that authorities plan to consult the public on the issue.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau made the suggestion on Thursday, a day after his bureau launched a 2½-month public consultation on anti-smoking strategies, covering 14 proposed measures ranging from increasing tobacco tax to banning people born after a certain date from buying cigarettes.
July 13, 2023 by scmp.com
Lifetime ban on cigarettes for Hongkongers born after certain date proposed in public consultation on smoking
Banning Hongkongers born after a certain date from buying cigarettes is among measures in an open-ended public consultation on discouraging smoking, although insiders say some of the more controversial ideas were dropped. [...] The consultation, involving a citywide questionnaire, began on Wednesday and is expected to end on September 30.
March 22, 2023 by rti.org.tw
VIDEO: Vape ban officially enacted in Taiwan
Public health is a government priority. The increasing popularity of vaporized nicotine products has raised concerns about its impact on Taiwanese youths, so lawmakers are taking action to address the situation. Vaping, or consuming nicotine through vaporizing devices, has become increasingly popular, especially among teens.
Vapes were once touted as a potentially healthier alternative for smokers. However, starting last year, Taiwanese lawmakers began to propose legislation banning the import, sale, and manufacture of e-cigarettes, another term for vapes.