Beijing banned smoking in taxis

Beijing will issue a ban on smoking in taxis since October 1 in an effort to create a "smoke-free" Olympics next year. Both passengers and drivers are penalized if they smoke in the car, however, the specific fine has not been announced by the traffic authority.

According to Truong Quan Nhuan, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing, the relevant agencies, including the Department of Health, the Department of Traffic Management, and the Traffic Law Team, jointly began the implementation. "No smoking" taxi advertising campaign from Sunday.

The city government also released a draft on banning smoking in Olympic venues, athletes' accommodation and in traffic vehicles. Accordingly, the consumption of cigarettes at all venues of the Olympic games, athletes' practice and accommodation places . is prohibited.

However, the ban is not easy to implement in Beijing, where more than half of men are addicted to drugs, according to the survey conducted by Horizon Research Advisory Group. Research shows that all smokers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan burn an average of 17 cigarettes a day.

Many taxi drivers in Beijing are worried because passengers will ignore their ban and non-smoking advice, while they have no means to force non-smokers.

The idea of "smoke-free" began in 1988, and was applied in practice since 1992 Barcelona.

Next year's event will be the first "smoke-free" Olympics after China's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has entered into force in 2005. China has pledged to ban all images. tobacco advertising in 2011.

Statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Health say 350 million people (26% of the Chinese population and one-third of the world's smokers) smoke, about 1 million people die from tobacco-related diseases each year. . The State Council of China has completed a draft ban on smoking in public places such as taxis, buses, air-conditioned trains, traffic lounges.

United Mail