Editorial | New Hong Kong smoking curbs to lighten burden of public health costs
- City health minister is to be applauded for measures aimed at reducing deadly habit that follow hefty rise in price of cigarettes
Anti-smoking campaigners agree that tax rises are the most effective deterrent. Hong Kong has truly put that idea to the test with its most recent tax increase of 80 HK cents per cigarette, pushing up the cost of a pack of 20 by HK$16 and in some cases past the psychological resistance point of HK$100.
The aim of the government is to reduce the city’s smoking rate from 9.1 per cent of over-15s to 7.8 per cent by the end of next year. It remains to be seen whether that results in a sustained spike in interest in anti-smoking programmes and aids, especially among young people.
If youngsters abstained that would eventually starve the habit of active users.
This is easier said than done. Countries such as New Zealand have abandoned radical solutions, including banning anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco products.
But that is no reason for local anti-smoking, pro-health forces to lose heart. Hong Kong’s smoking rate may be better than many countries, but it still represents 577,000 people.
And it conceals an alarming rate among males of 16.4 per cent, compared with 2.7 per cent of females.
Even if some doubt one estimate that two-thirds of city smokers will die from diseases related to their habit, any fraction is unacceptable. So Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau is to be applauded for announcing 10 supplementary measures to discourage smoking.
