Take a walk down a road through any major Asian city and the widespread presence of smoking will become clear as day. At 2.5 trillion units in circulation, China alone produces nearly half of all cigarettes in the world. To some, the habit of smoking has become a part of their culture. To others, a plague.

However, smokers in Asia may soon find themselves reconsidering their habits. A series of campaigns across many Eastern countries have taken up arms against smoking, potentially spelling havoc for the tobacco industry. While China implements harsher penalties and bans on smoking in specified areas, South Korea enacts a large cigarette tax that nearly doubles the average costs of cigarettes.

Stricter regulations… about time!

Demand for cigarettes is expected to fall throughout Asia as a result of the new battle against smoking. Tobacco industries in Asia, particularly China, are usually dominated by one or very few producers with little competition.

While these industries generate significant revenue for governments(China’s largest producer of cigarettes is government-run) and create jobs for citizens, the detriments the consumers’ health is blatantly obvious. Companies should take into consideration the effects that their products have on their consumers, and government regulation plays a crucial role in making sure companies look after their consumers. With China being home to one-third of the world’s lung cancer patients, it is about time that the tobacco industry be faced with some harder directives.

Sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-12-11/the-chinese-government-is-getting-rich-selling-cigarettes

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-11-28/now-starring-in-chinas-anti-smoking-ads-bill-gates

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-11-28/now-starring-in-chinas-anti-smoking-ads-bill-gates