YOGAYUGA

Smoking bans in Spain on January 1, France on Feb 1, Denmark on April 1, and UK on July 1. Smoking also bans in HK on Jan 1.

I watched an interesting programme about the HK smoking ban policy on TV. The related department do concern very much about when HK can be completely become a smoking free region. Many people have been verbally warned when they were smoking in some smoking free public areas after the ban. Since smokers cannot smoke indoor of most of restaurants and some smoking free areas, then they would naturally smoke in any outdoor area that allows them to smoke. More and more people will smoke on the street. I did see a group of people surrounding a public rubbish bin on the street last night, and smoking together as they can use it as an astray. In fact, the ban won’t stop people smoking suddenly, but will make people to smoke more on the street. Certainly, it will take time to make HK becoming smoking free completely.

The programme was talking about stores of Marlboro and Dunhill. Marlboro only sells clothes and accessories in their stores, but the smoking ban department does worry that their advertising and promotion can have strong propaganda to lead teenagers smoking. Dunhill has been created as a fashionable brand for professional and upper class people, so their cigarettes can have the same idea for people who smoke with it. Well, I think the government people do make a good point, but really, I do doubt their stores could make much influences to the people who don’t smoke. If those, they smoke, then they just smoke. They won’t go for smoking because of the fashion brand, especially in the society of 21st century. If the kids did follow the trend, is about the education of family and school. If the adult did smoke, is more or less related to his/her life style. Of course, if the government did adopt related policy earlier then there will be people less smoking in HK. In fact, the figure of smokers in HK getting lower and lower every year since 10 years ago. There are countries in Asia; people do smoke freely without too much limitation such as Japan, Taiwan and Mainland China. A place I ever went in Tokyo, where was full of cigarettes on the ground. Everyone does smoke in that area, and like throwing cigarettes on the ground. I can’t remember where it is now. My Taiwanese boss and colleagues did smoke freely inside the office non-stop, especially in the conference room while they were having meeting. They wouldn’t care who doesn’t smoke in the room. Some Mainlander Chinese do smoke inside the exhibition centre regardless they are allowed or not to smoke in that area. This is related to the overall smoking atmosphere of the society, as their government doesn’t promote anyting against smoking.
Many Europeans do smoke. I remember more than 3/4 of my course mates did smoke in the university I studied. I had few friends who did smoke from time to time in the boarding school. Sometimes, they did climb out of window from their rooms after 10pm at night, and smoked. I thought it was funny and scary as if they had been caught by housemistress of school they would be dead meat!!! Teenager girls do smoke because of fashion, and try to be adult. A Greek course mate ever told me “How can you not smoke while you are sitting in the cafe and enjoying a cup of coffee?” “This is the real life, mate!” Italian says the same. “You can’t enjoy yourself properly if you don’t smoke while you are having cappuccino!” Well, whether this saying is right or not, is really your choice! ^_-
Personally, I do not even give a try for once. My family doesn’t smoke. I also don’t see any smoking temptation in my brain. I am the kind I would only do something I want to do, or simply not do it if I don’t even like it. So I won’t even try it as I am not interested in it. There is no tempation between my lines. I don’t mind people smoking in front of me as long as I don’t feel disturbed. People still have basic right to do something they want to do as long as they don’t disturb others. Of course, I also don’t choose any smoking area inside the restaurant unless I got no choice.

I think this article is very good to brief the ban network across the UK, the detail analysis.