Chinese Smoking Problem - VOA Story

China has an addiction to cigarettes, but they are killing more than a million each year. Can smokers break the habit?

China, home to more than 1.2 billion people, is the world's biggest cigarette market, with sales of 1.6 trillion cigarettes a year.

Although tobacco taxes were China's biggest source of state revenue, accounting for $8.55 billion or more than 10 percent of total government income, health care and other costs related to smoking far outstripped that.

China is realizing now that despite the money which comes in from tobacco sales, the costs of treating the illnesses associated with tobacco may not be worth it.

Beijing has launched anti-smoking campaigns in recent years, slapping restrictions on cigarette advertising and banning smoking in public places, but greater efforts were needed to ensure future generations never took up the habit, Gee said.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• China
• Smoking
• Cancer
• Chinese

[robo3781]

That country must reek.

[kawaiiultraneo]

Don't worry, everyone has to die of something...

Might as well be something you choose than something your forced to breath. Wait, if your living in China, then your force to breath toxic fumes, smog and smoke...

Jezz, how unfortunate. Better give up!

[ciceromatrix]

THEY DON T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING

[kawaiiultraneo]

@5566NT Obviously they ain't that smart!! Or they'd be giving more blind people driving licenses, that'll definitely kill of a few more folks. haha

[5566NT]

@kawaiiultraneo The government in China is actually very smart!

It's well known smoking is most common in those from the lower socioeconomic status and China today is still having population overcrowding issues. Resources would be exhausted if China population is still huge!

Being a communist country, China could easily force all the people not to smoke, but no, the government doesn't intend to break the cycle - its true intention is to let these people die out for China to thrive.

[chuckbyf1]

Tobacco Co. population control. It's not working!

[Carots420]

The good thing is that most Chinese people just fill up their mouths and let the smoke go and they only inhale a little of it. I was sharing a cigarette with some people I met as it's customary and most of them barely know how to smoke.

[amandavanwhore123]

large printed warnings and no advertisments go to ur nearest 99 cent store and by a pack in america they also have large printed warning no one gives a fuck

[amandavanwhore123]

i relized they dident inhale 

[sicktkdchick]

i went to shanghai around the time this was posted and i was like holy shit! their smoking in the restaurants, but they had vents, and there was a shitload of pollution, but i love shanghai!