Cigarette companies target kids, women: official

Beijing (CNS) -- The average age of Chinese people who start smoking is getting younger, according to Vice Minister of Health Huang Jiefu on Thursday.

That's because juveniles are more easily deceived by "low tar" slogans used by cigarette companies, he said.

Huang, who is also chairman of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, addressed the issue during the launching ceremony of a non-smoking pilot program in schools nationwide.

Greedy tobacco merchants brag about how healthy their products are to target youth and women, he warned.

The only solution, as Director Wang Yuyi of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention pointed out, is to quit cigarettes altogether. Otherwise, the health threats won't ultimately be eliminated.

China is the largest tobacco producer, consumer and victim of tobacco-related illnesses globally, according to a WTO report.