Reducing the glitz and glamour of smoking to lower tobacco-related deaths
BEIJING, 31 August 2015 –Advertising of tobacco products is akin to marketing death and disease. That is why new restrictions on tobacco advertising in China, which come into effect from 1 September are to be warmly welcomed, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.
“WHO strongly supports the introduction of new restrictions on tobacco advertising contained in China’s revised Advertising Law which take effect this week,” said Dr Bernhard Schwartländer, WHO Representative in China.
“Banning all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is one of the most cost-effective measures Governments can take to protect the public from the harms of addiction to tobacco use,” Dr Schwartländer said.
From 1 September, it will be prohibited to advertise tobacco products in mass media, public places, on public transport, and outdoors in China. Distribution of any form of tobacco advertising to minors will also be prohibited. Previously, billboard advertising and advertising in some public places was allowed.
“We particularly welcome the revised law’s emphasis on protecting young people from tobacco advertising. This is crucially important: most smokers start up when they are young, and young people are especially susceptible to tobacco marketing. Stopping young people from starting smoking when they are young is almost like a vaccine – it is protecting them for life,” said Dr Schwartländer.
“The implementation of China’s new restrictions on tobacco advertising is another important step forward for China in tackling high rates of tobacco use, and in China meeting its obligations under the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC),” Dr Schwartländer added.
The WHO FCTC calls for a comprehensive ban on all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. The Guidelines to the WHO FCTC – adopted by all Parties including China – state that the comprehensive ban should apply to ‘all forms of commercial communication or action … with the aim, effect, or likely effect of promoting a tobacco product or tobacco use either directly or indirectly’.
“Having this new law on the books is a terrific step forward. WHO now looks forward to seeing it comprehensively enforced – so that all forms of tobacco advertising, including in shops and at other tobacco retail points of sale – are banned,” Dr Schwartländer said.
Advertising at retail points of sale is used by the tobacco industry to target young people. According to survey data from China Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), 4 per cent of Chinese adults say they noticed tobacco advertisements in stores in the previous 30 days. When asked the same question, more than 40 per cent of teenagers age 13 to 15 said they had noticed tobacco advertising at retail points of sale – a tenfold difference.
“Enforcing a comprehensive ban on all forms of tobacco advertising – including in all public places – has the potential to save millions of lives. WHO will be closely monitoring the enforcement effort to ensure that all forms of tobacco advertising are consigned to the dustbin of history, where they belong,” Dr Schwartländer concluded.
China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of tobacco products. There are more than 300 million smokers in the country – with 28.1% of adults, and more than half of all adult men, regular smokers. Among 13-15 year olds, 11.2% of boys smoke. More than 1 million people die from tobacco-related illness every year – around 3000 people every day. In addition, over 700 million people are routinely exposed to second-hand smoke, which kills approximately 100,000 people every year.
世卫组织欢迎中国有关烟草广告的新政策
打碎吸烟的魅力光环，降低烟草相关死亡
北京，2015年8月31日 – 烟草产品广告无异于死亡和疾病的营销广告。正因为此，世界卫生组织（世卫组织）今天表示热烈欢迎中国9月1日生效的对烟草广告的新限制。
“中国新修订的《广告法》将于本周生效。世卫组织大力支持其中增加的限制烟草广告的新内容，”世卫组织驻华代表施贺德博士表示。
“禁止各种形式的烟草广告、促销和赞助，是政府为保护公众免受烟草使用成瘾之危害所采取的最具成本效益性的措施之一，”施博士说。
从9月1日起，中国将禁止在大众媒体、公共场所、公共交通工具和室外发布烟草产品广告，同时还禁止向青少年发布任何形式的烟草广告。此前，路边广告牌广告和在某些公共场所发布广告不受禁止。
“我们尤其欢迎修订后的《广告法》强调保护青少年免受烟草广告的影响。这点十分重要：大多数烟民都是在年轻时开始吸烟的，青少年尤其容易受到烟草营销的影响。阻止青少年从小开始吸烟就像接种疫苗一样，可以给他们提供终身保护，”施博士说。
“中国对烟草广告实行新的限制，是向降低高吸烟率、更好地履行世卫组织《烟草控制框架公约》（WHO FCTC）规定义务所迈出的重要一步，”施博士补充道。
世卫组织《烟草控制框架公约》呼吁全面禁止各种形式的烟草广告、促销和赞助。世卫组织《烟草控制框架公约实施准则》获得了包括中国在内的所有缔约方的批准，其中规定，应全面禁止“目的、效果或可能的效果在于直接或间接地推销烟草制品或促进烟草使用的所有形式的商业宣传或行动”。
“有了新修订的法律文字是可喜的进步。世卫组织接下来期待着它的全面实施，从而禁止各种形式的烟草广告，包括在商店和其他烟草零售点的烟草广告，”施博士表示。
烟草业零售点广告的目标是青少年。中国疾病预防控制中心（中国疾控中心）的调查数据显示，4%的中国成年人表示过去30天中曾注意到商店里的烟草广告；而当13-15岁的青少年被问及同一问题时，40%以上的青少年表示曾注意到零售点里的烟草广告，差距有10倍之多。
施博士最后说：“全面禁止各种形式的烟草广告，包括禁止各种公共场所的烟草广告，有可能挽救数百万人的生命。世卫组织将密切监控执法情况，以确保各种形式的烟草广告都被丢进历史的垃圾堆，那才是它们应有的归宿。”
中国是世界上烟草产品的最大生产国和消费国。中国有3亿多烟民，28.1%的成人、半数以上的成年男性经常吸烟。13-15岁的青少年中，11.2%的男孩吸烟。每年有100多万人死于烟草相关疾病，相当于每天3000人。此外，7亿多人经常暴露于二手烟；二手烟每年造成约10万人死亡。