Tobacco.org

影视剧烟草镜头不容乐观 [Movies and television cameras can not be optimistic about tobacco] 

10月20日在香港举行的第三届两岸四地烟害防制交流研讨会上，中国控制吸烟协会青少年控烟职业委员会专家吕若然、段佳丽指出，目前，我国尚无明确的法律法规限制影视剧中的烟草镜头。虽然与前几年相比，影视剧中的烟草镜头控制情况有所改善，但从2008年的影视剧来看，烟草镜头暴露的情况仍然不容乐观，影视剧中基本没有控制烟草的宣传。

October 20 in Hong Kong, the four at the third cross-Strait Seminar on Tobacco Control, the Chinese Association on Smoking Control Youth Tobacco Control's professional committee of experts Lu and if so, Duan beauties pointed out that currently there is no clear laws and regulations in China restrictions on tobacco film and television drama shot. While in previous years, film and television drama shot in tobacco control situation has improved, but the 2008 TV drama point of view, the lens of tobacco exposure is still not optimistic, film and television drama basically no tobacco control advocacy.

In the agency investigated 10 domestic films, there are four appeared in the tobacco lens, a total of 25 times, average length of the tobacco lens, 1 minute. Have been investigated 11 television shows, then all the emergence of tobacco lens. A total of 453 times the lens of tobacco there, with an average there are 41.1 per tobacco television camera, when the episode an average length of the lens of tobacco 1.5 minutes. Among them, the appearances of tobacco exposure to a television camera the most, with an average occur once every 17.3 minutes tobacco lens.

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港大研究发现:烟民吸二手烟患病风险增85% 

新华网消息据香港文汇报报道，二手烟可引致多种严重疾病及死亡，但不少香港市民均以为二手烟只会影响非吸烟者，而对吸烟者则无额外影响，原来属错误想法。一项研究发现，吸烟者如在家外每周5至7天吸入二手烟的话，患呼吸症状的风险会较没有吸入二手烟者增加85%；接触二手烟的日数越多，风险越高。

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黄洁夫赞扬港澳台三地控烟工作值得内地借镜 

中新网10月21日电 据澳门日报报道，为期两天的第三届两岸四地烟害防制交流研讨会20日在香港开幕，超过100人参加。与会者一致认为，面对烟草危害和威胁，必须采取一系列措施防控，包括促请政府增加烟草税及禁止烟草广告等。

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SFH to attend tobacco control conference in Beijing 

The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, today (October 11) flies to Beijing to attend the fourth session of the member representative assembly of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control cum tobacco control conference to be held tomorrow.

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Tobacco in Hong Kong, China 

Tougher legislation dents cigarette sales

Stricter legislation in the form of a ban on smoking in public places in 2007 led to yet another year of declining cigarette volume sales. The ban is set to become absolute from July 2009 onwards, encompassing popular smoking locations such as restaurants, bars and mah-jong parlours. Smoking prevalence also decreased over the review period. Limited time and places available has led smokers to smoke more quickly, with some smoking just half a cigarette at a time. In 2009 the government increased taxes on cigarettes by 50%, which is expected to be a further blow to the tobacco industry in Hong Kong over the forecast period.

Mid-tar category dominates, but low-tar the best performing

Mid-tar brands continued to dominate cigarette sales in Hong Kong in 2008, accounting for more than 55% of sales during the year. That said, mid-tar and high-tar cigarettes both registered a decline in 2008 as consumers increasingly shifted towards lower-tar products, which achieved positive growth. With male smokers opting for lower-tar alternatives, the growing demographic of female and young smokers has also fuelled growth of low-tar products. Many consumers perceive lower-tar cigarettes as being healthier than their high-tar counterparts.

Philip Morris Asia continues to dominate

Philip Morris Asia remained the dominant player in cigarettes in 2008. The company owns the leading brand, Marlboro, which accounted for nearly half of all cigarette sales in 2008. Marlboro has captured a loyal customer base through its strong and well-established brand name as well as its wide distribution network throughout Hong Kong. To further strengthen its leading position, Philip Morris Asia launched its new brand L&M in the second half of 2008 to capture more consumers.

Convenience stores the leading distribution channel

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Tobacco in Hong Kong to 2013 - new market and company analysis 

This databook provides key data and information on the tobacco market in Hong Kong. This report is a comprehensive resource for market, category and segment level data including value, volume, distribution share and company & brand share. This report also provides expenditure and consumption data for the historic and forecast periods.

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Smoker Assaulted Tobacco Control Inspector, Quit Smoking Support 

A smoker was convicted by the Court for assaulting a Tobacco Control Inspector (TCI), A spokesman for the Hong Kong Department of Health said.

The man, aged 32, was fined $2 000 and ordered to pay compensation of $133 to the affected TCI by Eastern Magistrates' Court.

The incident took place on July 5 when the man was found smoking by a TCI in an amusement game centre in Wan Chai. He forcefully pulled a door which hit the TCI at the chest during the course of investigation.

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• Unions see red over enforcing smoking ban ($$) 

More than a dozen unions have pledged to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department that they will enforce the smoking ban, its chief said yesterday, though union leaders disputed that claim.

Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Cheuk Wing-hing said that he had met the heads of 13 of the department's unions, representing more than 5,400 civil servants, and that all leaders had said they would implement the law. The department has 16 unions.

His claim comes after seven representatives from the department's two staff unions marched to the Legislative Council's complaints division on Tuesday to file a complaint about being made to enforce the ban. A union leader present at yesterday's meeting with Cheuk said that some unions had made clear their opposition towards enforcing the ban.

But Cheuk said that it was only "individual groups" who were unwilling to perform their new duty.

"Civil servants in their right mind will implement the new law," he said.

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Staff too busy to enforce smoking ban, say unions ($$) 

Two unions representing government workers said on Wednesday their members were too busy to hand out fixed-penalty tickets to people violating Hong Kong’s anti-smoking laws.

Their comments follow the extension on Tuesday of anti-smoking laws to include 48 public transport interchanges, bus terminals, wet markets, beaches and housing estates.

Some 2,200 staff from the Leisure and Cultural Service Department, 700 from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and 430 from the Housing Department are responsible for enforcing the new penalties.

But the Leisure Service Staff General Union and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department’s Staff Rights Union, said its members could not perform these extra duties because they did not have sufficient manpower.

However, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Cheuk Wing-hing said most of his staff had assured him they would not ignore their new duties.

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New bans and fines failing to deter smokers ($$) 

Smokers continued to puff away at wet markets, transport interchanges and housing estates yesterday despite the introduction of a HK$1,500 fixed-penalty fine for offenders, instead of a summons.

The smoking ban was also extended yesterday to cover 48 covered public transport interchanges.

At Kowloon Tong public transport interchange, smokers stubbed out their cigarettes on a no-smoking sign that covered an astray on a litter bin.

At Lai Kok Estate in Sham Shui Po, some senior residents were seen smoking outside the designated smoking area. Housing Department staff, who can now issue fixed-penalty tickets, were nowhere to be seen.

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LETTER: Is enough being done to police the smoking ban? ($$) 

I do not think the law is working. Sometimes, while I am having a meal in a restaurant, I see people smoking. If I ask waiters to ask that person to stop smoking, they often refuse to do so. The reason for their refusal is understandable. . . .

Owners of bars and restaurants are the only people who can supervise their premises effectively. It would be easier to implement the smoking ban if compliance was a requirement to obtain a licence. The bar owners would become the enforcers.

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LETTERS: Is the fixed-penalty fine for smoking offences effective? ($$) 

• Unions tell staff not to enforce smoking ban ($$) 

A government department's staff union has made a last-minute appeal to its members not to enforce the city's smoking ban - which is being extended today - but to perform only their original duties.

"We've issued a statement to our members, urging them to do our original duties," said Gary Cheung Siu-wing, chairman of the Leisure Service Staff General Union. . . .

Starting from today, 2,200 staff from the Leisure and Cultural Service Department, 700 from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and 430 from the Housing Department will be responsible for handing out fixed-penalty tickets to those who smoke in premises and venues under their management - such as libraries, wet markets, beaches and housing estates.

Cheung doubted if they had the legal right to issue the tickets, because over 90 per cent of them still had not got the new departmental warrant card. "Because it's an extra duty ... we need to have the warrant card before we can enforce the new ban," Cheung said.

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香港违例吸烟定额罚款制9月实施 违者罚1500元  

中新网8月27日电 据香港中通社报道，香港卫生署发言人26日表示，违例吸烟定额罚款制度将于今年9月1日生效，而同日开始，在48个公共运输设施也禁止吸烟。

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• Smokers Risk Swine Flu Complications Like Pneumonia, Data Show  

Smokers may be prone to developing life-threatening complications from swine flu, according to patient data from Hong Kong, where tobacco use was noted in almost half of severe cases.

Twelve of 27 swine flu patients who developed pneumonia and other serious illnesses were either current or former smokers and some had no other known risk factors, Thomas Tsang, acting controller of Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection, told a medical meeting in Beijing yesterday.

“The proportion of smokers among the serious cases is pretty high,” Tsang said in an interview. “So far this is just one observation that stands out and we need to investigate it.”

Tsang’s findings may shed more light on a mystery that doctors are grappling with: why the new flu remains mild for a majority of people and is severe enough to kill in others. Worldwide, about 1,800 people infected with H1N1 have died since the virus was discovered in April.

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