Government

Tobacco Tax

Advantage
According to the study from The School of Public Health of The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, shows that with the 50% increase in tobacco tax in 2009, adolescent current smoking rate further dropped to 4.8% in early 2010 and 3.4% in late 2010, i.e. an overall 51% drop in adolescent smoking.

Disadvantage
People resort to buying illicit cigarettes, which is cheaper. This only promotes smuggling and illegal sale of cigarettes. Thus it is easier for teenagers to get access to illicit cigarettes
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The illicit cigarettes are usually of low quality, like the tar level in counterfeit cigarettes there was 75% higher than that in genuine cigarettes. It will only cause more damaging health problems in teenagers.

Enlarge non-smoking areas
From 1 January 2007, statutory no smoking areas have been extended to cover most of the indoor areas and public outdoor places in accordance with the amended Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371).

Advantage
To add troublesome to smoking and motivate people to stop smoking
The study from the school of public health of the University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine reveals that since the implementation of the comprehensive smokefree laws in 2007, adolescent smoking is reduced from 9.5% in 2006 to 6.9% in 2008, i.e. 27% decrease in the smoking prevalence among adolescents in Hong Kong.

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Disadvantage
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People may keep smoking in the no smoking areas as the human resources of tabacco control office is limited and it is hard to look for and charge the offenders.
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Teenagers can still smoking in private places and such ban fails to motivate them to quit smoking.
Ban tobacco commercials
Part IV of the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371) prohibits the exhibition of tobacco advertisement in printed publications, in public places, by film, or on the Internet.

Advantage
It can reduce the chance of exposing teenagers to the tobacco and prevent the temptation of smoking from the tobacco company.

Disadvantage
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The temptation of smoking in teenagers is usually caused by peer influence and the image from their idol. Banning tobacco commercials may just be one of the factors leading to smoking and thus have little influence on curbing teenagers’ smoking.

Ban people aged under 18 from buying tobacco products
Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance, no person shall sell any cigarette, cigarette tobacco, cigar or pipe tobacco to any person under the age of 18 years.

Advantage
It is believed that the teenagers have no access to the cigarettes.

Disadvantage
People resort to buying illicit cigarettes, which is cheaper. This only promotes smuggling and illegal sale of cigarettes. Thus it is easier for teenagers to get access to illicit cigarettes

They may ask other adults to buy the cigarettes for them.

There are limited human resources in the tobacco control office and they may not be find out the illegal selling of smoking to teenagers.