mbreport SMOKING BAN 82
There is no of cial estimate what-
soever on the economic impact the ban will have on businesses, on government revenue from the tobacco tax or the sav- ings to the public’s purse from reduced health costs. The Health Bureau has created the
Tobacco Control Of ce, staffed by 40 full-time inspectors and 80 paid volun- teers, to enforce the smoking ban and promote anti-smoking campaigns. Over the rst 19 hours of the ban,
more than 350 venues were inspected, with nine people issued nes. Penal- ties range from MOP400 (US$50) to MOP600 but offenders receive a 50-percent discount if they settle the ne within 15 days, aping the system in place for payment of driving nes. Fines under the ban are smaller than the penalties imposed in Hong Kong where the single, xed ne for anyone who lights up in non-smoking areas is HK$1,500. The director-general of the Smok-
ing Abstention and Good Health Association, Johnny Au, believes most smokers are concerned about being banned from smoking inside restau- rants. He applauds the government promotion campaigns leading up to the ban’s launch, saying the population was aware of it. “It was advertised and post- ers were put up in most places,” he says.
Message misfi ring The approval of the tobacco control bill last April created plenty of time to pre- pare for the smoking ban. The tobacco control law took more than three years
Over the fi rst 19 hours of the ban, more than 350 venues were inspected, with nine people issued fi nes. Penalties range from MOP400 (US$50) to MOP600 but offenders receive a 50-percent discount if they settle the fi ne within 15 days
to prepare, plus another 15 months for its passage through the Legislative As- sembly. Mr Au admits the thousands of
tourists that enter Macau daily may not be fully aware of the tobacco ban. Of the nine people issued nes on the rst day of the new law, four were tourists. “If we talk about travellers, I’m
concerned,” he says. “The new law should be well promoted and cross over to every sectors of the community.” Promotion should be reinforced in tour- ist entry points in Macau, he says. The Health Bureau admitted in a
press release “dif culties and challeng- es are to be expected” while enforcing the smoke ban. The body adds however it is con dent its team of inspectors will be up to the task. While the smoking ban is con-
A DYING BREED S
sidered a big step for Macau, Mr Au believes there is room for improvement once complementary legislation is enacted. He mentions graphic anti- smoking images on cigarette packets depicting the effects of smoking. “It’s a very effective way to alert people not to smoke.” Mr Au is also in favour of higher
taxes on tobacco, although they were raised last month, ahead of the ban. He says data shows those who consume cigarettes the most are people on low wages, which could be more sensitive to a big increase in price. If you add a more effective health-warning model to a tax raise, it will lead to a drop in tobacco consumption, Mr Au says. Overall he is satis ed with the new
tobacco control law and believes it will improve the community’s health. “In Macau, it is very signi cant for social harmony. We are very close to each other. We have to take breakfast or eat outside every day,” Mr Au says. “If we are exposed to second-hand smoke, it may cause serious harm to our health.”
Enforcement blues The director-general of the Smoking and Health Life Association, Samuel Chan, believes enforcement of the smoking ban will be dif cult, consid- ering lax tobacco enforcement in the mainland. “The enforcement of a simi- lar law there is really bad,” he says. A nationwide ban on smoking was
introduced there last May, making smoking in some public indoor venues illegal, including hotels, restaurants, bars and public transport waiting rooms. Of ces and factories were excluded. Mr Chan is disappointed by the
moking rates for Macau residents older than 14 years increased by about 1 percent from 2009 to last year to reach 16.9 percent of the city’s population.
The results were included in a report by the Statistics and Census Service that was released ahead of the new ban’s introduction. More males light up than women, with about one in three males smoking com-
pared to less than 4 percent of females. Tobacco is especially popular among men aged from 35 to 44 years old, where a staggering 41 percent were regular smokers. The report concluded that more than one quarter of the city’s smokers have tried
unsuccessfully to quit. The report also highlighted a high rate of exposure to second- hand smoke of 93 percent at Macau restaurants and 53.6 percent at work. Smoking among minors is also a grave concern. A 2010 survey by the Health
Bureau concluded that one out of every 10 children aged less than 15 years smoked. The government has sponsored tobacco cessation counselling. The rst service
was established in Areia Preta in 2006. The Health Bureau says about 1,300 people have attended counselling, with a success rate of 36 percent. Some unique solutions have also been introduced with the government organis-
ing a competition for quitting the habit in 2008. Smokers who were able to quit stood to win a prize of MOP50,000 (US$6,250). About 350 people took part.
JANUARY 2012
promotion of the law by the Macau government. He says there are a lot of people – smokers included – who are still not fully aware of the new rules. There is also a concern that smok-
ers will not take the new law seriously. “Smoking a cigarette takes just a few minutes. By the time the inspectors arrive at the facility, the cigarette has already been smoked,” Mr Chan says. He is not con dent that restaurant
owners will uphold the ban should a customer light up indoors. “Owners be- lieve not allowing customers to smoke will hurt business,” he says. There are potential positives in
the law for the hospitality industry. Mr Chan can see more customers moving
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