China: Young Students in Beijing Have More Access to Tobacco

Source from:  gb times 01/19/2016

A new report is suggesting that young students in Beijing still have easy access to tobacco products despite strict laws and regulations.

Despite the strictest-ever anti-smoking regulations and newly revised advertising laws, a recent report revealed that a large number of young students in the Chinese capital continue to be exposed to tobacco.

The report was released by Beijing Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. It says that more than 25 percent of primary and middle schools have cigarette stores within 100 metres.

Guo Xin with the centre says many tobacco stores selling around schools sell food and stationery too. Hungry students, or those shopping for school supplies, are then exposed to tobacco advertising at these stores.

Also, Guo says many tobacco stores change their selling strategies to meet the "particular" needs of young students:

"Young students usually don't have enough money to buy a whole box of cigarettes and they can be easily caught by parents and teachers when carrying a large number of cigarettes. So many tobacco stores have changed their selling strategies, allowing students to buy one cigarette each time. This kind of promotion is a great allure to minors."

According to the report, nearly 64 percent of these tobacco stores have not put up warning signs stating that no tobacco will be sold to minors.

Beijing' new tobacco control rules took effect on June 1 last year. Tobacco sales within 100 metres of school campuses, and cigarette sales to minors, have been banned.

Huang Jinrong, a law expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says authorities need to put more effort into controlling cigarette sales to minors:

"Officials from Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce should give more severe punishments to tobacco stores that are caught selling tobaccos to minors. The authorities from China Tobacco can also revoke these stores' permissions for selling tobacco."

Mao Qunan, with the National Health and Family Planning Commission, says they will take more measures in banning tobacco sales and advertising within 100 metres of school campuses:

"We will set up laws to promote a 100 percent smoking-free environment around school campuses this year. We will also push for the implementation of smoking bans across the country. also, we will strengthen our monitoring system."

According to the latest survey conducted by China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 6 percent of Chinese youth under the age 15 smoke and 23 percent more have tried lighting up. Enditem