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« Maybe In My Backyard | Main | Hurricane Futures Markets » August 30, 2005China Ratifies Accord Banning Cigarette AdsThe Wall Street Journal has an article this morning that shows that China is becoming even more Westernized: they are banning cigarette ads."China, home to more than 300 million smokers, ratified an international treaty prohibiting tobacco advertising and will ban tobacco-vending machines, the government said. The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was ratified Sunday by the National People's Congress, the official Xinhua news agency said. Parliament leaders "supported the treaty by announcing that China will ban tobacco-vending machines of any kind" in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, Xinhua said. The treaty requires China to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship on radio, television, print media and the Internet within five years, according to Xinhua. It also prohibits tobacco-company sponsorship of international events and activities. China has tightened regulations meant to prevent minors from buying tobacco, but enforcement has been uneven. Some five million smokers in China are under 18 years old, according to the government. Chinese tobacco companies sold 1.8 trillion cigarettes in 2003, Xinhua said, citing the Chinese Association on Smoking Control." 5 Million Smokers under the age of 18? That's it! There are 5 million smokers under the age of 15 in France, and I don't even know if I'm joking about that. Related from the Joint Center: Regulation through Litigation W. Kip Viscusi Posted by the Joint Center at August 30, 2005 09:15 AM |
