Health Bureau stresses priority in protecting non-smokers

Several reports and opinion-makers argue that the full smoking ban on casinos will have a negative impact on the economy, but the Health Bureau director, Lei Chin Ion, stated that this is only “a forecast” and “a hypothetical question.”
Lei explained in a statement, published on the Government Information Bureau website, that there are many factors affecting the economy, but as the Health Bureau head, he must prioritize the protection of citizens’ health. He stated that the government’s decision to abolish smoking lounges in casinos, a measure announced on Tuesday by the Executive Council, serves to protect non-
smokers from the harm of passive smoking.
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s statistics, medical care attributable to smoking costs a tremendous amount in each country and region; the cost is greater than any economic gains. Furthermore, the physical and mental suffering caused by tobacco hazards for people is incalculable, even causing immeasurable loss to individuals and societies,” noted Lei in the bureau’s statement.
The bureau’s draft amendment to the Regime of Tobacco Prevention and Control was finalized by the Executive Council yesterday. The  amendment proposes the expansion of the smoking ban to all casino floors, thus abolishing smoking lounges. Should the amendment be passed by the Legislative Assembly, smoking will also be prohibited in outdoor areas of higher education venues, at public bus stops and inside tobacco shops.
“Any methods other than [maintaining] a 100-percent smoking-free environment have been again and again proven ineffective, including ventilation, air filtration and designated smoking areas that are equipped with an air filtration system or not,” stressed the Health Bureau, citing the WHO.
“As long as indoor smoking is allowed, no techniques or methods can effectively prevent people from being exposed to tobacco smoke; no ventilation system can reduce the harm of secondhand smoke and third-
hand smoke,” it added.
In addition, the bureau stressed that Macau should pass a law to ensure the general public’s right to breathe smoke-free air at public bus stops, particularly given that many passengers are schoolchildren, adolescents, infants and pregnant women. Meanwhile, the bureau suggested that educational institutions should promote a positive image and enforce health habits against smoking.
Aside from expanding the smoking restrictions to more venues, the government has also toughened penalties for smoking regulations. It has suggested raising the fines imposed on violations to anywhere between MOP1,500 and MOP200,000, up from the current fines of between MOP400 and MOP100,000. An individual found smoking in a prohibited area will be fined MOP1,500 once the new regulation takes effect.
According to the Health Bureau, a total of 10,445 violations were recorded between the year 2012 and May 2015, with nearly 40 percent of offences being repeated breaches. “The most severe case of repetitive violation was a lawbreaker who offended 22 times, which shows that the current penalty was not a sufficient deterrent, leading to many repeated violations,” said the bureau, adding that it will double the manpower available for the enforcement of smoking regulations, with 85 appointed inspectors next year. BY