Wide support seen for nationwide smoking ban

Even some smokers in China support a nationwide smoke-free law, particularly in workplaces, according to a report released on Monday by the World Health Organization and other health agencies.

The report, compiled by the WHO, the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that in China, 740 million nonsmokers, including 182 million children, are exposed to secondhand smoke at least once a day.

The report comes as China is mulling over a national ban on smoking in public places to protect nonsmokers from passive smoke.