To combat misinformation from the tobacco industry, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) that was negotiated by World Health Organization (WHO) members stipulates that each nation should provide protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in both indoor workplaces and public places. To comply with this worldwide anti-tobacco drive, the legislature recently reviewed a draft amendment to the Tobacco Control Act (菸害防治法).
According to the WHO, more than 100 nations have ratified the FCTC, indicating that around 71.8 percent of the world's population, or 4.5 billion out of a total of 6.2 billion people, will be protected by the FCTC and free from the hazards of tobacco products.
The WHO has recently estimated that this year as many as 5 million people will die from smoking-related diseases, and pointed out that smoking could be responsible for approximately 10 million deaths annually worldwide by 2025.
According to the FCTC, each signatory shall adopt and implement effective legislative, executive, administrative or other necessary measures to carry out its obligations and shall cooperate with one another on implementation of these measures.
Each signatory shall, within a period of three years, adopt and implement, in accordance with its national law, effective measures to ensure that tobacco product packaging and labeling do not promote a tobacco product by any means that are misleading, deceptive or likely to create a false impression about the characteristics of the product. These include terms such as "low tar," "light," "ultra-light" or "mild."
Within a period of five years, each signatory should prohibit sponsorship of international events and activities by tobacco companies.
As to protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in workplaces and public places, the WHO predicted that the 168 signatories will have completed the ratification procedures by next year. By then, 91.4 percent of the world's population, or 5.6 billion people, will be protected and free from the hazards of tobacco.
In fact, before the FCTC came into effect, quite a few nations and regions had already taken the initiative and adopted policies banning smoking in workplaces and public places. In Europe, five nations including Italy, Norway and Sweden have already passed laws stipulating that, starting next year, smoking will be banned in public places such as restaurants and bars.
In the US, 10 states have passed similar laws aimed at implementing a smoking ban in the workplace and public places. In the UK, in a move supported by 78 percent of the British people, the British government is now proceeding toward a blanket ban on smoking. As for the Asia-Pacific region, Thailand has drafted legislation aimed at banning smoking in most public places, while in Hong Kong a similar law just passed its second reading in the legislature.
A survey conducted by Shih Hsin University showed that 90 percent of the Taiwanese public support the idea of banning smoking in indoor workplaces and public places. Another online survey conducted by TVBS and Yahoo Taiwan indicated that nearly 80 percent of the public favor the idea of prohibiting smoking in indoor public places without having to designate smoking areas.
The John Tung Foundation, as a member of the Framework Convention Alliance, is responsible for supervising whether the nation is complying with its Tobacco Control Act. We hope Taiwan will be able to report substantial achievements in its efforts to protect the public from the hazards of tobacco products next February when the WHO will review results of the FCTC.
Jacob Jou is the chief executive officer of the John Tung Foundation.
Translated by Daniel Cheng
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