Beijing Seeks To Ban Purchase Of Cigarettes With Public Funds

We thought we may provoke that rather attractive face of yours into a wry smile by sharing a news story we’ve just read from Reuters news agency.

While western governments are doing their best to persuade people away from the killer weed tobacco, authorities in China clearly have a VERY long way to go judging from the news that China's capital Beijing is thinking about a ban the use of government money to buy cigarettes!

Clearly around 50 years behind the UK in the trend, Beijing says the government should not pay for people to smoke cigarettes, either as gifts or to be provided at official functions, state media said on Friday.

China, home to some 300 million smokers, is the world's largest consumer of tobacco, and smoking is a ubiquitous part of social life, particularly for men. Cartons of cigarettes are commonly given as presents or provided at formal events.

The Beijing government rules, currently in the proposal stage, would ban cigarettes being provided or given at any official event, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Beijing, along with other parts of China, already bans smoking in many public places, though the rules are generally ignored, says Reuters!

The ruling Communist Party said last year that officials must not light up in schools, workplaces, stadiums, and on public transport, among other places, so as to set a positive example.