Article Text
Statistics from Altmetric.com
In the early 1980s, Hong Kong was a tobacco marketing executive’s paradise. It not only had few effective tobacco control measures, but its comparatively high male smoking prevalence meant sales, its low prevalence among a female population that was clearly becoming more emancipated and economically powerful meant increased future sales, and its proximity to China, to which the territory was soon to be returned, meant the possibility of finding the keys to heaven. It was thus an extraordinary achievement when, in its final years of existence, the British colonial government introduced just about a full house of effective tobacco control laws, albeit recognising that in due course further improvements would be required in areas such as smoking in pubic places, and health warnings.
Hong Kong’s change of status to a Special Administrative Region of China did not see an obvious return to dominance of the tobacco industry, but it was not long before it became apparent that the new generation …
Linked Articles
- News analysis