Lesson on Rule of Law: What Are the Provisions for Smoking Banning in Public Places behind Xu Jiao’s Dissuasion from Smoking?
On December 26th, a news about a celebrity dissuading a man from smoking went viral. Actor @Xu Jiao claimed that she encountered a smoking man in a restaurant in Changsha and asked the waiter to dissuade him. The man said, “I’ll finish this one.” When Xu Jiao tried to dissuade him, the man argued that “there is no smoking ban sign here”. Xu Jiao recorded the incident in a video as evidence. The man then grabbed her phone and threw the cigarette butt into her food bowl, after which Xu Jiao called the police. However, the police said smoking indoors in Changsha is not illegal and they cannot impose a fine on him.
A media reporter learned from Changsha’s 12345 citizen service hotline as a member of the public that there are currently no specific legal provisions banning smoking in public places within the city limits of Changsha. “Smoking is prohibited in places where a no-smoking sign has been clearly posted, but it may not have mandatory restrictions in places where no relevant signs are posted.”
What are the specific laws on smoking control at the national level?
The “Regulations on the Management of Public Places Hygiene” issued by the State Council on April 23, 2019, stipulates in Article 2 the public places to which the regulations apply, including seven items, with eight sub-items in the first item: hotels, restaurants, guesthouses, boarding houses, cafes, bars, tea houses. Article 18 of the “Implementation Rules of the Regulations on Public Place Hygiene Management” explicitly states that smoking is prohibited indoors in public places. Operators of public places should set up prominent no-smoking warning signs and symbols. Smoking areas set up outdoors in public places should not be located on必经之路 for pedestrians. Automatic cigarette selling machines are not allowed in public places. Operators of public places should carry out publicity on the dangers of smoking and health, and employ full-time or part-time personnel to dissuade smokers.
However, it is noteworthy that on December 13, 2024, the State Council announced the “Decision on Amending and Repealing Some Administrative Regulations” which amended some provisions of 21 administrative regulations and abolished 4. Among them, the second item of Article 2 of the “Regulations on Public Place Hygiene Management” was modified to include “hotels, guesthouses, and boarding houses,” with the deletion of five places such as restaurants, cafes, bars, and tea houses. The regulations will be implemented on January 20, 2025, and the restaurant in Changsha involved is still subject to these regulations.
However,姜垣，新探健康发展研究中心副主任，介绍道，《公共场所卫生管理条例》虽然明确规定了禁烟，但该条例的落实必须有明确的执法主体和罚则。澎湃新闻记者注意到，长沙市人大在2019年1月曾制定《长沙市文明行为促进条例》。该条例第十八条规定了影响公共安全和秩序、损害公共利益和他人权益的其他不文明行为，其中第十一项规定了在公共交通工具和禁止吸烟的室内公共场所吸烟的行为是禁止的。第三十七条规定，违反本条例第十八条第十一项规定的，由市人民政府确定的行政执法部门责令改正，并处以五十元以上罚款；情节严重的，处以二百元罚款。然而，这条规定并没有明确哪些室内公共场所应该禁烟和不禁烟。至于徐娇劝阻吸烟的餐馆属于哪一类，长沙市12345回应称，“对于已明确悬挂禁止吸烟标志的场所，的确是禁烟的；而对于未张贴相关标志的地方，可能就没有强制性的约束。”至于谁来悬挂禁烟标志或界定禁烟场所，“如果不对‘禁止吸烟的室内公共场所’进行细化明确，这部条例还真管不了‘长沙餐厅’。”姜垣说。世卫组织的《烟草控制框架公约》第8条及其执行准则规定，“禁烟场所应覆盖所有室内公共场所、室内工作场所以及公共交通工具。”行业内简称为“三类场所”，具体包括至少八类场所：医疗卫生机构、中小学校、大学、政府公共设施、办公室、餐饮场所、酒吧等娱乐场所和公共交通工具。《长沙市文明行为促进条例》第三十七条对应的“行政执法部门”是谁？长沙市人大常委会法制处相关负责人回应澎湃新闻称，“不同场所应该有不同的执法主体，要以政府的规定为准。”该负责人还表示，《长沙市文明行为促进条例》并不是主要针对吸烟的。目前长沙市人大暂时也还没有控烟立法计划。然而，在《长沙市人民政府2023年立法计划》中，由长沙市卫生健康委起草的《长沙市控制吸烟条例》作为调研论证项目已经列入其中。“健康中国行动”纲要要求全面推进我国控烟履约工作，到2030年我国成人吸烟率降低到百分之二十以下。在《健康中国行动（二○一九至二○三○年）》发布一周年时，长沙市人民政府官网披露了一项调查结果显示：长沙市十五岁以上居民吸烟率为百分之十九点七。中国政法大学
