WHO Urges China to Ban Tobacco Advertising at Retail Outlets

February 4th is World Cancer Day. A report from the World Health Organization indicates that approximately 2.2 million people die from cancer in China each year, with lung cancer being the most common cancer among men in China. The WHO representative in China, Dr. Gauden Galea, urged China to ban tobacco advertising at retail outlets. Dr. Galea believes that the display and promotion of tobacco at retail points, like other forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, are promoting death and should be prohibited.

The deadline for public consultation on the second draft of the Advertising Law (Revised Draft) was January 19, 2015. The tobacco advertising-related provisions in the second draft were considered the "strictest in history," but the draft still left room for tobacco advertising in up to 5 million retail stores in the country.