Duty-paid labels, ban on alternative products among new tobacco control policies to be announced

Labeling each and every one of duty-paid cigarettes is among several initiatives set to be introduced by authorities, sources said, as the government will hold a press conference on Thursday to announce the outcome of the public consultation on tobacco control strategies. 

One of the short-term measures is to introduce legislation to ban people from smoking when queuing in public, sources said. 

Sources added that this serves as an alternative since the government finds it difficult to enforce the law against those who smoke when walking on the streets, dubbed “train heads” in the city. 

Other short-term measures include increasing the warning area of the cigarette packaging from 85 percent to 100 percent and the government will have full power to decide the content of the packaging. 

Alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes will also be prohibited and possession of such items will be an offense. 

The non-smoking area will be expanded to cover vicinities near schools, clinics and hospitals. Providing tobacco products to teenagers and children under the age of 18 for free will be illegal as well. 

As for mid- to long-term strategies, the government doesn’t have the exact implementation timetable so far, according to sources. Yet, it will continue to conduct studies on banning smoke-and-walk behavior on the streets and prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to people born after a certain year. 

The smoking prevalence stood at 9.1 percent in early 2023 and the government aims to further push the number down to 7.8 percent by next year. 

Apart from Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau, tomorrow’s press conference will also feature Commissioner of Customs Louise Ho Pui-shan, Director of Health Ronald Lam Man-kin, Deputy Secretary for Health Eddie Lee Lik-kong, and Head of the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office Fung Ying.