Increase efforts to tighten tobacco control

According to the data of the Chinese Ministry of Health, there are 350 million smokers on the Chinese mainland (an average of one in three individuals). The population of passive smokers is more than 540 million. What is worrying is that the number of young smokers has reached 200 million.

One million people die from tobacco-related diseases every year on the mainland, far more than deaths from AIDS, suicide and traffic accidents combined, accounting for the highest mortality worldwide.

It is alarming to find that the average age of smokers is getting younger. On the other hand, the proportion of smokers who intend to quit remains relatively low. Though tobacco advertisements are banned, disguised form of tobacco advertisements exists everywhere, and there is still a long way to go in tobacco control.