Dh and police crack down on illegal waterpipe smoking in tsim sha tsui, central, and wan chai districts, issuing 43 fpns and warning of health risks
The Tobacco and AlcoholControl Office(TACO) of the Department of Health (DH)yesterday (June 28)eveningconducted alarge-scalejoint operationwith the Policeagainst illegal waterpipe smoking activities in no smoking areas inTsim Sha Tsui, Central and WanChai district.
During the operation, law enforcement officers (including plainclothes officers)inspected34bars andissued a total of43 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to persons illegally smoking waterpipes atsevenbars. The TACO's investigation is ongoing and prosecution may also be taken against operators of the bars/restaurants who are suspected of contravening the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371) (the Ordinance) and the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Cap. 221)for aiding and abetting smoking offences.
Under the Ordinance, conducting a smoking act in a statutory no smoking area (such as indoor areas of bars or restaurants) is prohibited. Any persondoing a smoking act in statutory no smoking areas are liable to a fixed penalty of $1,500. Moreover, where tobacco products (including waterpipes) are sold, in bars or otherwise, restrictions on the sale and promotion of tobacco products stipulated in the Ordinance apply. Venue managers of statutory no smoking areas are empowered by the Ordinance to request the smoking offender to cease the act; if the offender is not co-operative, he/she may contact the Police for assistance.
Also, under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, any person who aids, abets, counsels or procures the commission by another person of any offence shall be guilty of the like offence. A spokesman for the DH appeals to operators and venue mangers of bars/restaurants not to assist any person in breaching the statutory smoking prohibition, or provide a waterpipe apparatus and tobacco to customers for use.
A DH spokesman stressed that the TACO will follow up and investigate every complaint about illegal smoking, and will conduct inspections and take enforcement actions in the venue concerned.The TACOwill also conduct joint inspections and enforcement actions (including plainclothes operations) with other law enforcement agencies from time to time with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement. The DH will continue to closely monitor and to take stringent enforcement actions to tackle illegal waterpipe smoking.In the past 12 months,the TACO conducted25decoy operationsagainst illegal waterpipe smoking activities in no smoking areas. A total of77 FPNs were issued against smoking offenders and while 74summonses were issued to staff members and operators of the bars/restaurants for other related offences.
The spokesman said thatwaterpipe is a smoking product and its combustion of fuel (e.g. charcoal) releases high concentrations of carbon monoxide. Due to deeper inhalation and longer smoking session, waterpipe users usually inhale more toxins than they would when smoking cigarettes. A typical one-hour waterpipe smoking session exposes the user to 100to200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from asingle conventional cigarette. Besides, sharing the waterpipe apparatus increases the risk of infectious disease transmission such as tuberculosis. For more information on the hazards of waterpipe smoking, please visitwww.livetobaccofree.hk/pdfs/waterpipe_leaflet_new.pdf. The spokesman cautions against waterpipe smoking or the use of other smoking products. Smokers should quit smoking as early as possible for their own health and that of others.
DH conducts joint operation with Police against waterpipe smoking in no smoking areas Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DH conducts joint operation with Police against waterpipe smoking in no smoking areas Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
