Many other regions in China are expected to join the capital city in enforcing anti-smoking measures, which will curtail the freedom of China's 300 million smokers to light up in public as they have long been accustomed. This will serve as a major test for the government's stated adherence to the rule of law. Smokers in the country have not taken previous restrictions seriously, as they don't see their habit as a serious or harmful vice.
As many law enforcement officers also smoke, they often show lenience to members of the public caught smoking in public places. Heavy smokers usually gather at the corners of airports to light up before boarding their flights. Security officers often ignore them or disperse them without imposing fines on them. This has undermined the government's anti-smoking campaign.
Measures should be reasonable to make their implementation feasible. Take airports, for example. It's not necessary to get rid of all smoking rooms at airports. Those caught smoking outside smoking rooms however should be heavily fined to give credibility to anti-smoking regulations.
China has over 300 million smokers, including government officials and even national leaders. Smoking has long played a major social function in the country, so top officials need to lead by example in quitting the habit, so that this can filter down. No pun intended.
Cigarettes are often given as gifts in China and expensive cigarettes priced at thousands of yuan per carton are often exchanged among local and national level government officials. This culture if the ban is to work and the ongoing anti-graft campaign could include tobacco in its frugality drive along with high-end liquor.
Many local governments also rely on the production and sale of tobacco products for income and have already spent heavily on large tobacco plants to secure a high profit margin. These governments need to establish alternative sources of money if real change is to take place.
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