Allowing indoor smoking areas is pragmatic tobacco control measure

HANGZHOU, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, has given a green light to setting up indoor smoking areas in public places in a draft of its newly revised smoking control regulation. Beijing News comments:

China has about 350 million smokers, 30 percent of the world's total, and 740 million secondhand smokers. It is therefore necessary for the government to take seriously its duty to control the use of tobacco, especially because the tobacco industry and sales of tobacco products are State-owned in China.

Tobacco use has led to more than 1 million deaths each year in the country, and it is estimated the economic losses caused by tobacco greatly exceed the added value created by the industry.