Page 144 - TAIWAN TOBACCO CONTROL ANNUAL REPORT 2019

5 Conclusions Conclusions Since the promulgation of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in 1997 and the implementation of its subsequent amendment in January 2009, adult smoking rates decreased from 29.2% in 1996 to 13.0% in 2018, while the smoking rates among junior high and vocational high school students dropped to 2.8% and 8.0% respectively. Despite this achievement, many young adults started picking up smoking habits once they reach 18 years of age. Although the new regulations have been in force for several years and that refusing the use of tobacco products is gradually becoming the social norm, long-term commitment is still required to create a smoke-free environment. Although improvements were achieved in terms of public knowledge and awareness for tobacco hazards as well as the level of tobacco hazards in the environment, there remained many opportunities for improvement to tackle smoking among young adults or teenagers, smoking in Internet cafes and indoor workplaces, and the illegal sales of tobacco products to individuals below 18 years of age. Taiwan adopted the goal of lowering the smoking relative rate by 30% in 2025 compared to 2010 set by WHO in the context of the prevention work on noncommunicable diseases (NCD). In the future, the HPA will continue to learn from experiences of other countries and continue to build a national consensus in order to build a comprehensive tobacco control policy. Examples would include: Reinforced regulation of e-cigarettes, gradual expansion of non-smoking areas, releasing new health warning labels for tobacco products containers and revising the adequate areas for such warnings, strict prohibition of tobacco product advertisements, bans on flavored cigarettes, formulation of laws governing illegal infringement caused by implementation of Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act and provision of medical aid, adjusting tobacco product health and welfare surcharges, and provision of comprehensive second generation smoking cessation services. We will also be adopting multi-pronged tobacco control strategies to safeguard the health of fellow citizens, create a smoke-free Taiwan, and lead the way towards a smoke-free generation. 142 Conclusions