Since the “Tobacco Prevention and Control Law” took effect on January 1, 2012, the local government has continuously refined its tobacco control legislation, leading to a steady decline of over 31 percent in tobacco use rates in Macau between that year and 2023, according to an SSM statement yesterday.
The statement pointed out that the usage rate of tobacco and related products among the population aged 15 and above has dropped from 16.9 percent before the law’s implementation to 11.6 percent in 2023, a relative decrease (5.316.9) of 31.4 percent, which met the WHO’s target of a 30 percent relative reduction in tobacco use by 2025 ahead of schedule.
According to the statement, in response to the rising use of novel tobacco products like e-cigarettes and their public health risks, particularly to youth, the “Tobacco Prevention and Control Law” was revised in 2022 to comprehensively ban the manufacture, distribution, sale, import and export of e-cigarettes, and prohibit carrying them in and out of Macau, to eliminate their circulation.
Moreover, in observance of today’s World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)* Day, the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Tobacco and Alcohol Prevention and Control Office has dispatched its officials to promote the SSM smoking cessation services and the “Tobacco Prevention and Control Law” to smokers through various channels, aiming to encourage smokers to quit for the sake of their own and families’ health, and jointly build a smoke-free and healthy living environment, the statement said.
Smoking is a primary cause of COPD, the statement said, adding that COPD is a progressive and irreversible chronic respiratory disease primarily caused by harmful air pollutants like tobacco smoke, which ranks as the fourth leading cause of death globally, responsible for approximately 3.5 million deaths in 2021, accounting for about 5.0 percent of total global deaths. Therefore, quitting smoking is the most effective and cost-efficient method for preventing and treating COPD, according to the statement.
The statement noted that “Smoking Cessation Consultation Clinics “have been set up in various health centres since 2006, providing free services by dedicated healthcare professionals. From January to October this year, these clinics recorded some 1,970 patients.
World COPD Day, themed “Short of Breath, Think COPD” this year, aims to raise public awareness and understanding of the disease, was established by the WHO and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, the statement noted.
* COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is a common, preventable, and treatable disease that is characterised by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. - DeepSeek
This undated handout photo provided by the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday shows SSM Tobacco and Alcohol Prevention and Control Office officials promoting the SSM smoking cessation services and the “Tobacco Prevention and Control Law”.
