Beijing mulls to ban smoking in single occupancy office(2)

The new regulation underlined that "relevant work units be responsible for tobacco control".

"This is a step forward," said Wang Delin, vice chairman of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress. "This means that in case of poor implementation, someone will be punished."

After the first review of the rule in July, amendments were made also to make it appear more practical.

For instance, in the first draft, hotels and airports were listed as places where smoking was strictly prohibited. But in the second draft, the areas were changed to "hotels without ventilation system, and airports, apart from the smoking rooms".

If the law is too strict to enforce, what's the point of having it, some experts argued.

CRITICISM AND HOPE

But some experts, including Wang Qingbin, expressed disappointment over the new rule.

"I doubt whether the ventilation systems for 'smoking rooms' could be effective," he said. "Another problem is, what if there is no non-smoking room left in a hotel? Will the customer be forced to use a smoking room, and endure the second-hand smoke left there?"

"The WHO is extremely dismayed to see these loopholes appear in the draft Beijing law," said Pratta. "Exemptions to 100 percent smoke-free laws create enforcement difficulties." Smoke will drift out of those rooms where smoking would be allowed, making it difficult to tell if someone had broken the law, she noted.

"These loopholes would make Beijing's law incompatible with China's obligations under the FCTC," Pratta continued. "Loopholes and exemptions make smoke-free laws harder to enforce, not easier."

Other experts saw hope from the draft and the reviews. "This is a very good beginning," said Wu Yiqun, deputy director with ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development, a Beijing-based non-government organization.

"Only after we have a strong law will people pay attention to the problem," she said.

A vote for the law will be carried out next January. It is not known whether the draft will be reviewed again.