Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

It was reported recently that the State Council's Legal Affairs Office might make a revision of the forthcoming "regulation on tobacco control in public places," to loosen smoking restrictions. Exemptions reportedly will be granted to restaurants, bars, hotels, allowing those places to set up smoking areas. I strongly oppose this proposed relaxation of the smoking ban.

Being the largest tobacco grower in the world, China has the biggest production, sales, and consumption of tobacco products plus the most severe impact on the tobacco epidemic. Presently over 1.4 million Chinese people die annually from smoking-related diseases. China's 350 million smokers also affect the country's 740 million non-smokers. Consequently, three quarters of the total Chinese population are suffering from tobacco-related damage every day. If the people are in poor health, their families unhappy, and the social practices unhealthy, they can hardly be well equipped to realize their Chinese dreams.

To tackle the smoking epidemic worldwide, WHO has promoted the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), of which China became a signatory in 2006. One required step for all signatories is to declare a national ban on smoking in all public places so as to better protect non-smokers and encourage smokers to smoke less or begin to quit.

Beijing declared a smoking ban for all indoor public locations in June 2015, claiming it was "the toughest ban ever implemented." This drive will face a serious setback if the forthcoming national smoking ban regulation will allow smoking sections to be set up in previously no-smoking areas. A smoking ban is a smoking ban, no exceptions. 

I've been working in China as a volunteer tobacco control specialist for the past 25 years and know for sure that most smokers are trapped by their heavy dependency on smoking because of biological, psychological, and cultural habitual fixations. Many realize smoking is harmful, but are not ready, willing, confident, and capable of quitting once and for all. 

However, they can survive just as well without smoking in public transportation vehicles and places like the Great Hall of the People, where the smoking ban is strictly enforced. The larger the smoking ban areas and the more restrictive the smoking ban applied, the stronger the tendency and outcome for smokers to reduce smoking or quit smoking completely.

Therefore, we've come to the conclusion that the proposed national ban on smoking in public places cannot move backward to allow smokers to smoke in designated areas or private offices.

China has suffered greatly under the smoking epidemic. Banning smoking in public places is just the first step toward implementing effective tobacco control. Other necessary tobacco control measures promoted by WHO should be carried out one by one, including "offering help to quit tobacco use, warning about the damages of tobacco, enforcing bans on tobacco promotions, and raising tobacco taxes." We need all these actions accomplished to benefit the Chinese people and the nation. 

It's time for the Chinese government to get more serious with this issue and deliver its best.

The author is a tobacco control specialist and current affairs commentator for CCTV News. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn