NGOs unite to fight tobacco

By Wu Wencong (chinadaily.com.cn)

The All-China Environment Federation, at the 2010 Annual Meeting of Chinese Environmental Civil Society Organizations on Sustainable Development in Hangzhou on Nov 13, called for all civil society organizations to form an alliance to reject support from tobacco enterprises in any form.

"They are just taking a tiny sum from their enormous profits, and hoping to expand their sales under the guise of corporate social responsibility and charity," said Ding Yaoxian, deputy head of the Baotou City Environment Federation in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

2010 marks the fifth year since China ratified the World Health Organization's International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Yet there are still some tobacco enterprises, promoting their products by becoming sponsors of major sporting events, or even Project Hope, said Ding.

By ratifying the framework on Jan 9, 2006, China committed to banning tobacco advertisements, sales promotions and sponsorships by tobacco enterprises.

Zeng Xiaodong, vice-chairman and secretary general of the All-China Environment Federation, said China has the highest number of smokers in the world and the most deaths from smoking related causes.

Every year 5.4 million people around the world die of smoking related diseases, almost one fifth are in China. The country has 350 million smokers, 180 million of whom are teenagers. If the situation continues another 100 million will die by 2050, half of them between the ages of 30 and 60.

Though the situation is grave, tobacco control in China has made relatively slow progress. A February 2009 survey by WHO revealed that only 37 percent of Chinese smokers knew smoking can cause coronary heart disease, and only 17 percent knew it can cause a stroke.

A 2004 survey showed that, while 95 percent of physicians knew smoking caused lung cancer, only 66 percent knew it can cause heart disease. Tobacco kills far more people through heart disease than through lung cancer.

Since 2007, the All-China Environment Federation has been proposing the founding of a "Smoking Control Act".

"The ultimate tobacco control is through legislation," said Zeng.

In 2004, Ireland became the first country to outlaw smoking in public places through legislation, including all the offices, restaurants, bars and hotels.

In cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, there are regulations banning smoking in some public places. However, the punishments for offenders are vague and non-specific, making it hard to implement, said Zeng.

"For example, during the Beijing Olympic Games, the city's almost completely smoke-free public places were praised by athletes all over the world," he said. "But the effects of the regulations failed to last when the Games ended."

He said tobacco control needs to be strengthened in China, and the way to reach this goal is through legislation.

"In 2011, when China's commitment to implement the international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control comes into force, a "Smoking Control Act" is due to come out