A Hong Kong anti-smoking group has called for a total ban on flavoured cigarettes after a survey found nearly 90 per cent of young female smokers opted for the particularly addictive products.
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The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, and researchers from the University of Hong Kong’s medical school, urged authorities on Wednesday to introduce the ban as soon as possible.
“Flavoured tobacco is marketed as ‘healthier’, especially targeting young people and women,” said Henry Tong Sau-chai, the council’s chairman.
The prohibition suggested by the groups would also cover products containing menthol and any accessories that could add flavours to cigarettes.
A ban on flavoured cigarettes is among the 10 short-term measures suggested by health authorities in June last year to help further reduce the city’s smoking rate from 9.1 per cent in 2023 to 7.8 per cent in 2025.
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The measures could be approved by lawmakers before the end of this year.