Hong Kong

Next chief executive should back annual tobacco tax hike in Hong Kong

Jan 8th, 2017

Your editorial (“Preventive health care is an investment, not a burden [1]”, January 1) has hit the nail on the head regarding the importance of, and investment in, prevention versus cure in Hong Kong.

We all need the “ambulance and curative services” to rescue us when we are taken ill, but unless the whole of government – particularly the finance, trade and economic branches, as well as the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Ombudsman – grasps the political nettle of issues such as tobacco control, health will never improve, nor will the many thousands of annual deaths from tobacco be reduced.

Indeed, the entire Hong Kong government is under an international obligation to do so, being a party to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

One of the most important platforms of any incoming chief executive is their future preventive health plan for Hong Kong citizens.

Let us call upon each of the potential chief executive candidates to outline their health platforms. We should discard all those who see these platforms in terms of more hospital beds, which will never solve the problem of improving Hong Kong’s health. And the current health paradigm is such that improvements will only come about by addressing the vested interests of big business – the tobacco, alcohol, food, and even salt industry –including their often unrecognised front groups.

With tobacco control, we have known for decades what works, and how very cost-effective these measures are. Yet governments around the world hesitate to act.

Increasing tobacco tax heads the list of the best single measure to reduce smoking. It may be surprising to many that a fiscal measure is more important than health education in schools or banning sales to youth, for example, but it is the single best action governments can take to reduce consumption among the young.

Why can Hong Kong not follow Australia and New Zealand and commit to an annual tobacco tax increase of, say, 10 per cent per annum to the year 2025?

Any chief executive candidate who would endorse this would get my (hypothetical) vote.

It would give us an orderly and planned route to follow, and avoid the incredible waste of time and energy lobbying annually for tobacco tax increases. And it would have a massive effect in saving young and middle-aged lives, and in what is termed “frailty avoidance” in the elderly.

Dr Judith Mackay, Clear Water Bay

Hong Kong Customs mounts operation to combat illicit cigarettes

Jan 5th, 2017

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http://www.customs.gov.hk/en/publication_press/press/index_id_1782.html

Hong Kong Customs mounted an operation to combat illicit cigarettes on January 3 and 4. Three cases were detected at Man Kam To Control Point, Kwai Chung and Tai Po. A total of about 3.7 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $10 million and a duty potential of about $7.1 million were seized.

On January 3, Customs officers intercepted a private car suspected of distributing illicit cigarettes in Tai Po. About 58 000 suspected illicit cigarettes were found in the vehicle. A 37-year-old male driver was arrested. On January 4, Customs officers intercepted an incoming lorry declared as containing assorted cargoes at Man Kam To Control Point. Upon inspection, about 2.9 million suspected illicit cigarettes were found in 173 carton boxes. A 41-year-old male driver was arrested. Later on the same day, Customs officers intercepted a lorry in Kwai Chung and found about 800 000 suspected illicit cigarettes in 59 carton boxes. A 33-year old man was arrested. Three vehicles involved in the cases were seized.

Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182.

Hong Kong Customs mounted an operation to combat illicit cigarettes on January 3 and 4. Three cases were detected at Man Kam To Control Point, Kwai Chung and Tai Po. A total of about 3.7 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $10 million and a duty potential of about $7.1 million were seized. Photo shows some of the suspected illicit cigarettes seized.

10-year roadmap to a tobacco-free city: What’s next?

Jan 2nd, 2017

by Editor.

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The Government is considering expanding the scope of smoke-free areas to busy outdoor areas, hoping to reduce the smoking prevalence to single digit. After expanding statutory no smoking areas about 10 years ago, the demographic characteristics and habits amongst smokers have changed significantly. It may be time to evaluate current tobacco control measures.

The full version of the commentary is in Chinese only.

http://www.bauhinia.org/index.php/english/analyses/541

Key points

The current tobacco control legislation does not cover most of the public areas outside designated no smoking areas, nor does it prohibit people from smoking while walking.
After consulting the affected residents, building and businesses owners, some of the laneways in Melbourne’s CBD are now smoke-free areas.
Most of the smokers in Hong Kong started smoking before the age of 30, 67% of them had their first cigarette between 10 and 19, more than doubled when compared with those who started between 20 and 29.
The ratio of female smokers remained 3% to 4% over the years, and the female smoking population increased from 92,000 in 2010 to 103,000 last year.
At least 13 countries, including Singapore, Thailand and Brazil, have imposed a complete ban on e-cigarettes.

HONG KONG: ILLICIT TRADE SURVEY RESULTS

Jan 1st, 2017

by Editor.

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Download (PDF, 4.17MB)

Hong Kong to press ahead with cigarette packaging reform

Dec 24th, 2016

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Plan includes increasing warning size and number of graphic images

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2057078/hong-kong-press-ahead-cigarette-packaging-reform

Hong Kong will press ahead with cigarette packaging reform to increase warnings that “smoking kills”, despite opposition from the tobacco industry, a leading health official said on Saturday.

Cigarette packaging has remained the same since 2007 and it was time for the government to overhaul packaging, Undersecretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said.

“We feel that at this point in time it is important for us to increase the warning size and also the number of designs from six to 12,” Chan said in a radio interview.

The size of warnings on cigarette packs would increase to cover 85 per cent of the pack, from the current 50 per cent, and the number of graphic designs would double from six to 12.

Chan said Hong Kong’s measures to deter smokers were much fairer to the industry and the public than in some other countries, which had legislated unbranded plain packaging or given increased prominence to shocking pictures.

“We think [our proposal] is a balancing act, to increase the warning size to 85 per cent and increase the number of designs” she said. “We haven’t gone to plain packaging yet. We felt that this is something we can do to protect people from smoking.”

Department of Health data from 2012 showed the number of Hong Kong residents who smoke had dropped to a low of 10.2 per cent of the population.

Acting SFH on tobacco control

Dec 24th, 2016

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Hong Kong (HKSAR) – Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Acting Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, after attending a radio programme today (December 24):

http://7thspace.com/headlines/532802/acting_sfh_on_tobacco_control.html

Reporter: The tobacco industry is not very happy with the Government’s proposal to make warning signs bigger on cigarette packages. Would the Government consider budging on its proposal? And also, under what circumstances will the Government consider imposing further measures to try to bring down the number of smokers in Hong Kong?

Acting Secretary for Food and Health: First of all, we have discussed this issue of increasing the size of the pictorial warning on cigarette packets since May 2015. There were deputations in the Legislative Council in July 2015 in which over 100 organisations attended. Most of them supported the Government’s initiative of increasing the packet warning size. The World Health Organization has suggested the larger the size of the pictorial warning on cigarette packets, the better or the more effective it is to decrease the number of people smoking. Therefore, from the statistics and evidence from different countries, we know that this is an effective tobacco control measure. So on the one hand, our packet (warning) size is now 50% and we have six different designs of pictorial warning. It hasn’t been changed since 2007, so it is almost ten years now. Therefore, we feel that at this point in time it is important for us to increase the packet warning size and also the number of designs from six to 12. The other issue is that there are also, obviously, countries that have gone even one step further, that is to go to plain packaging, i.e. 100% of the cigarette packet is already standardised and also (carries) a very big size of pictorial warning. Therefore, we think (our proposal) is already a balancing act, i.e. to increase the warning size to 85% and increase the number of designs. We haven’t gone to plain packaging yet. We felt that this is something that we can protect people from smoking. And also, it is shown that it is effective according to the evidence we collected from other countries.

Reporter: How about further measures?

Acting Secretary for Food and Health: For further measures, we always take a progressive and multi-pronged approach. We have just defined non-smoking area in the bus exchanges outside the eight tunnel portals in Hong Kong. Obviously there are other suggestions as to whether we would ban smoking at all bus stops or even on the streets. We will consider all these comments or suggestions, looking into the current tobacco control measures in Hong Kong, our smoking prevalence, our targets and also the related legislation.