Ban smoking while walking first before flavored cigs, a tobacco group says

Banning flavored cigarettes may lead smokers to turn to illicit products, a tobacco policy concern group claimed while advocating for a phased ban prioritizing the prohibition of walking while smoking.

Speaking on a radio program today, Tsui Yuen, a member of the Long-term Tobacco Policy Concern Group, warned that measures must be implemented cautiously as banning flavored cigarettes might lead to increased trade in illegal cigarettes.

Citing the group's previous survey in August last year, he said over 65 percent of smokers interviewed indicated they would seek other channels to purchase illicit cigarettes or switch to other tobacco products if flavored cigarettes were banned, with no more than 5 percent choosing to quit smoking.

He suggested a phased ban on flavored cigarettes, starting with areas of broader public consensus, such as prohibiting smoking while waiting or walking.

This came after the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health urged the government to totally ban flavored cigarettes amid its increasing popularity among women and teenagers.

Council chairman Henry Tong Sau-chai said on the same program that many advanced countries have already banned flavored cigarettes, and Hong Kong is merely catching up.

Addressing concerns about the impact of strict tobacco control on tourism and talent attraction, Tong noted that many skilled individuals from the mainland, South Korea and elsewhere support enhancing tobacco controls in the city. 

He said that a comprehensive indoor smoking ban implemented in 2017, despite initial industry fears of significant harm, resulted in a 30 percent increase in the restaurant business after two years, dismissing claims that such measures would negatively affect the economy as a “false premise.”

(Cheng Wong)