{"id":3408,"date":"2015-08-02T02:48:09","date_gmt":"2015-08-02T02:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3408"},"modified":"2015-08-02T02:48:09","modified_gmt":"2015-08-02T02:48:09","slug":"beijing-ban-on-smoking-working-mostly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3408","title":{"rendered":"Beijing ban on smoking working … mostly"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"BEIJING,<\/a>
BEIJING, CHINA-AUGUST 14 :A Chinese woman smokes a cigarette inside a disco in Beijing’s Sanlitun night club district which are packed with foreigners in town to enjoy the Olympics, on August 14, 2008 in Beijing, China. The well known Sanlitun area has been cleaned up prior to the Olympic games and thrives with young people looking for a party. (Photo Paula Bronstein\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is a story from ForeignPolicy.com (first time I’ve used a story from this site) about Beijing’s (latest) two-month-old indoor smoking ban.<\/a><\/p>\n

China is notoriously lax about enforcing any sort of environmental or public-health laws (this is why you don’t want to buy dog treats made in China), but according to this article, Beijing is serious about cracking down on smoking in bars, clubs and restaurants. It is a $32 fine for smokers and up to a $1,600 fine for businesses that allow it. After two months, the city has collected $16,000 in fines.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beijing has actually attempted a smoking ban, but dropped it. And several other cities in China have had unsuccessful smoking bans. From the ForeignPolicy.com story:<\/p>\n

The ban\u2019s early success \u2014 one month after it began, the Beijing Association on Tobacco Control described<\/a> the short-term results as \u201csatisfactory\u201d \u2014 is noteworthy. Environmental or health-friendly policies are often introduced to great fanfare in China, usually accompanied by amiable mantras like \u201cHealthy City,\u201d only to quietly fade due to lack of political will or commercial incentive.<\/p>\n

When it comes to smoking, Chinese cities have mostlyproven<\/a> willing to stub out only while international audiences are watching.\u00a0What starts as erratic enforcement soon peters out, and the country light back up as soon as the world turns away. Take Guangzhou, the capital of southern Guangdong, whichexperimented<\/a> with an ill-fated smoking crackdown in 2010, and has been doing so on-and-off, and without success, since 1995. Then there\u2019s financial capital Shanghai, which made a similarly short-lived effort<\/a>prior to its World Expo in 2010, themed \u201cBetter Life, Better City.\u201d Beijing has also tried, with at least one half-hearted effort<\/a> targeting large restaurants during the 2008 Olympics. That effectively ended when the foreign press went home.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The writer, based in Beijing, adds that he has personally witnessed a decrease in indoor smoking, including tobacco “fiends” standing outside a 24-hour club notorious for its “anything goes atmosphere.” The author stated that smoking was so ubiquitous in China as recently as 2009 — seeing smoking in hospital rooms, etc. — that he didn’t believe it would be possible for any smoking ban to have an effect.<\/p>\n

Beijing may be taking steps to reduce smoking, but the city still struggles with its infamous horrendous smog. The smog may be one reason the capital has finally decided to become serious about a smoking ban, but at the same time, it is a small step in making Beijing a more healthy place.<\/p>\n

From the article:<\/p>\n

But what may prove more effective than the threat of a financial penalty is the growing realization that Beijing, already fending off notorious<\/a> pollution, can no longer afford to carry the public-health burden of a citywide smoking habit as well.<\/p>\n

… Smoking may eventually come to be viewed\u00a0as an oddly indulgent habit in a city whose air is already persistently hostile to one\u2019s health. Indeed, an unusual spate of recent thunderstorms, coupled with low winds, has left a spectral gloom over the city this summer, a reminder of greater problems yet to be resolved. In this clammy atmosphere, young commuters, lining up at bus stops, seem to cough, hawk, and grumble like terminal smokers. The capital may be ready to finally give up its favorite bad habit, but it has plenty of others still to kick.<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is a story from ForeignPolicy.com (first time I’ve used a story from this site) about Beijing’s (latest) two-month-old indoor smoking ban. China is notoriously lax about enforcing any sort of environmental or public-health laws (this is why you don’t want to buy dog treats made in China), but according to this article, Beijing is … Continue reading Beijing ban on smoking working … mostly<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[562,15,60],"tags":[563,587,176],"class_list":["post-3408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beijing","category-china","category-smoking-bans-2","tag-beijing","tag-china","tag-smoking-bans"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/china-smoking-gettyimages-82298347-cropped.jpg?fit=960%2C574&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4hpEa-SY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3509,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3509","url_meta":{"origin":3408,"position":0},"title":"Asian casino mecca Macau seriously considering smoking ban","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"September 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a bit of a surprise. Macau, a huge casino and gaming resort city in Southern China near Hong Kong, is apparently seriously considering a total smoking ban in its casinos. Surprise because the People's Republic of China isn't big on environmental or health regulations. According to a study done\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Macau"","block_context":{"text":"Macau","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=714"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/macau-casinos-skyline.jpg?fit=470%2C269&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1336,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=1336","url_meta":{"origin":3408,"position":1},"title":"China orders government officials to stop smoking in public","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"January 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Got this interesting article from the Epoch Times, a website by Chinese dissidents about China. It's become home to a lot of HuffingtonPost refugees who are understandably pissed off about having to use their real names to comment on HP. I did a quick search on Epoch Times, and they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "China"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=15"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/china-XHG103-AP.jpg?fit=512%2C323&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":472,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=472","url_meta":{"origin":3408,"position":2},"title":"CNBC’s Cigarette Wars — “It’s still a legal product”","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"March 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"What I was struck by in the CNBC documentary \"Cigarette Wars\" was how a pair of tobacco farmers, when asked, \"how do you feel about growing a deadly product?\" just kept repeating the mantra, \"it's still a legal product.\" http:\/\/youtu.be\/brYirnEKsh4 \"Not everyone dies from smoking,\" Tobacco farmer Todd Clark says,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anti-tobacco campaign"","block_context":{"text":"Anti-tobacco campaign","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/cigarette-wars.jpg?fit=960%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/cigarette-wars.jpg?fit=960%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/cigarette-wars.jpg?fit=960%2C320&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/cigarette-wars.jpg?fit=960%2C320&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3528,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3528","url_meta":{"origin":3408,"position":3},"title":"Study: One in three men in China will die from smoking","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"October 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Devastating study in the Lancet this month stating that unless smoking rates are cut in China, one-third of men in that country will die from tobacco-related disease. Something about this article that jumped out at me. China obviously has the highest population of any nation on the planet -- 1.3\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "China"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=15"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/smoking-china.png?fit=630%2C354&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/smoking-china.png?fit=630%2C354&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/smoking-china.png?fit=630%2C354&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4106,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4106","url_meta":{"origin":3408,"position":4},"title":"“Tobacco Nation” being left behind","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"November 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a really good story from U.S. News and World Report about how the smoking rate in the U.S. has dropped dramatically through much of the country ... except for one region. And that's this funky swath from the Upper Midwest, beginning in West Virginia and then into the Deep\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cigarette taxes"","block_context":{"text":"Cigarette taxes","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=382"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/smoking-map.jpg?fit=859%2C627&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/smoking-map.jpg?fit=859%2C627&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/smoking-map.jpg?fit=859%2C627&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/smoking-map.jpg?fit=859%2C627&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":557,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=557","url_meta":{"origin":3408,"position":5},"title":"CDC predicts every state will have a smoking bans by 2020","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"April 21, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"First of all, the headline is a little misleading. It says \"Every state will ban smoking.\" They aren't banning smoking, they're just banning it in bars and restaurants. It will be interesting to revisit this in 9 years to see if the CDC is right. It's not a particularly bold\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Smoking bans"","block_context":{"text":"Smoking bans","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=60"},"img":{"alt_text":"mizoram-no-smoking","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/mizoram-no-smoking-298x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3410,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3408\/revisions\/3410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}