China to ban indoor smoking

BEIJING, April 1 (UPI) -- China, the world's largest consumer of cigarettes, says it will ban indoor smoking in an effort to help the country kick the nicotine habit.

Starting in May smoking in enclosed public venues will be outlawed and businesses will be required to prominently post no-smoking signs, NewScientist.com reported Friday.

They will also be required to participate in promotional activities warning of the dangers of smoking.

Simon Chapman at the University of Sydney in Australia calls it a good first step, noting that in Australia, Canada and throughout Europe an indoor ban on smoking was found to reduce daily tobacco consumption by 20 percent.

"While people might smoke a little more before or after work, this does not make up for the smoking opportunities lost during their working day," he said.

But it will be an uphill battle, as a survey of more than 12,000 Chinese citizens in 2010 found 41.1 percent of smokers admitted to smoking at work despite smoke-free policies.

Making cigarettes more expensive would be a better plan, Chapman said.

Despite government proposals to increase tobacco taxes, Chinese cigarettes remain among the cheapest in the world.