To encounter the challenges of tobacco industry: concerted community effort to advocate for policy change
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Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, Hong Kong
Publication date: 2018-03-01
Tob. Induc. Dis. 2018;16(Suppl 1):A58
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KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background and challenges to implementation:
The Hong Kong Government
proposed to enhance pictorial health warnings (PHW), prominently increasing the
size to 85%, since May 2015. Opposition and interference of tobacco industry
(TI) was fierce. They formed a strong opposition force by mobilizing front
groups and stakeholders to lobby legislators and delayed the legislation for 2
years. TI' intimidations on policy change were resolved with concerted
community effort.
Intervention or response:
Tailor-made smoke-free
promotion programmes were introduced by Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health
(COSH), targeting at all perspectives of society. Every year, education and
community involvement programmes for specific target group, e.g. students, elderly,
middle aged, women, medical and health, and business sector, etc were organized
to build up smoke-free concept in the community and engage them as persistent
working partners in
tobacco control.
Results and lessons learnt:
Since July 2015 to May
2017, over 220 organizations' representatives/individuals took part to support the
85% PHW. Apart from health advocates, medical professionals and scholars,
participants also included ex-smokers, students, teachers, social workers,
community leaders, businessman, etc. It demonstrated to legislators that
tobacco control is the whole community's concern and should be superior to TI's
commercial interests. The 85% PHW was finally passed in June 2017.
Lobbying of TI is ferocious
and always with pseudo-science. It should note that TI also mobilized over 110
representatives, including smokers, marketing experts, lawyers, politicians,
social activists and scholars. Challenges for advancing smoke-free legislation
could be huger as we expected. Wider support and collaborations with the
community should be solicited.
Conclusions and key recommendations:
Nearly 90% of Hong Kong
population are non-smokers and public support to tobacco control measures is
generally high. It is critical to identify and engage these supportive but
silent forces in the legislative process. Smoke-free seeds should be sowed
broadly, deeply and sustainably in all sectors of community for the policy
change.