The Hong Kong government will hold a press conference today (June 6) to announce the results of a public consultation on its tobacco control strategy. One of the upcoming initiatives includes implementing case-by-case labeling for cigarettes that have paid taxes.
According to sources, the government will introduce a short-term measure that will ban smoking in public places. This measure is part of an alternative option, as the government has found it difficult to enforce laws against people who smoke in the street, which is jokingly referred to as "motorcycle behavior" in the city.
Other short-term measures include:
- Increasing the warning area on tobacco packaging from 85% to 100%, which will be decided by the government on the content of the packaging.
- Banning alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, and holding such items will be considered illegal. It is reported that Hong Kong officially implemented a law banning e-cigarettes on April 30, 2022. According to the "Smoking Control (Public Health) (Amendment) Regulations 2021", the import, promotion, manufacture, sale, and commercial holding of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and its accessories are prohibited.
- Expanding smoke-free zones around schools, clinics, and hospitals.
- Providing Tobacco products free of charge to youth and children under the age of 18 will also be illegal.
As for the medium-to-long-term strategy, the government has not yet determined a specific implementation timetable. However, the government has stated that it will continue to investigate banning street smoking and selling cigarettes to individuals born after a certain year.
By 2023, the smoking rate in Hong Kong had already dropped to 9.1%, and the Hong Kong government hopes to further reduce it to 7.8% next year.
