Cigarette posters still prevalent as ad ban looms

Tobacco advertising is still visible in nearly half of all tobacco stores just two months before a new law takes effect that bans such advertising in public places.

The situation points to the challenge that could await enforcement of a comprehensive tobacco ad prohibition in China, where the number of smokers exceeds 300 million, the most of any country in the world.

Tobacco advertisements were found at more than 45 percent of tobacco sale points, according to a survey released recently by the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control.