China to Issue Nationwide Public Smoking Ban

By Bridget O'Donnell

China will roll out a nationwide public smoking ban, Shanghai Daily reports. The new law will be issued by the end of the year.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) announced yesterday that the new regulation, which aims to control smoking across all of China, is currently undergoing the legislative process.

The law will prohibit smoking at all indoor public venues, workplaces and public transportation, as well as outdoor areas at schools, historic sites, children's hospitals and stadiums. Violations by individuals can lead to fines of up to RMB500, while companies could be slapped with a penalty as high as RMB30,000 and a loss of their business license.

The NHFPC said that 20 cities had already drafted smoking ban laws, including Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Just last week, Shanghai announced that its no-smoking laws would go into effect in March 2017, making Shanghai the second city to ban smoking in public places after Beijing implemented similar legislation last year.

According to the Chinese Association of Tobacco Control the country has 316 million smokers and 740 million people who suffer from the negative effects of second hand smoke. The World Health Organization (WHO) urged China to issue a nationwide ban earlier this year.

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[Image via BT.com]

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