Countdown Continues

Nearly two years ago I foolishly discovered that most restaurant bars did not ban smoking because they were able to claim "bar status".  Banning restaurant smoking in 2007 was a great leap for Hong Kong, but bars were still off the hook for another two years. Since then, I have been silently counting down the days until January 1st 2009, when smoking will be banned in bars as well.

Only 23 more days left until the full ban comes into effect.

Sadly, not every establishment will adhere to the new policy.

• "Upstairs Bars" will ignore the ban the best they can by instructing customers to smoke in stairwells (already illegal), or they may ignore them completely by continuing to allow customers to smoke.  
  


• Smaller, less prominent bars on the ground level may try to ignore the ban as well. Their success will depend entirely on A. The bar's popularity, and B. Whether anyone files a complaint. If a bar is popular, there will be more people filing complaints, forcing the bar to follow the rules.  
  


• Karaokes should have banned smoking since 07, but it appears that they are ignoring the law. They aren't saying it is okay to smoke, but they aren't doing anything to prevent it either.  They're basically turning a blind eye, and providing makeshift ashtrays when requested.
  


• As for massage parlours (where smoking is still allowed until 09), I have no idea what they will do.  They are also usually located "upstairs", and it will be difficult to enforce a smoking ban just like the "Upstairs Bars".
  

It appears that not many people are all that interested in fixing these problems. Government officials feel that it isn't their problem.  The Tobacco Control Office doesn't have the manpower or incentive to enforce the new legislation.  Owners of bars and clubs fear that banning smoking will turn away customers.  Non-smokers have either stopped going to these places (like me), or pretend it doesn't bother them.

So how can we finally make Hong Kong smoke free? Here are some ideas.  Increase the manpower of the Tobacco Control Office, and give them an incentive to hand out fines. Make it a quota system where the more fines they hand out, the more salary they will receive.  Have them work in tandem with the police.  Make the smoking fines a larger amount to cover the cost of TCO officer bonuses.

When you raid enough karaokes, bars, and clubs, people will learn not to smoke there and eventually become accustomed to it.  People putting out their butts before TCO guys can hand out tickets?  Have officers pose as party goers, and conduct random raids.  Don't tell me this can't be done.  The Department of Health did the exact same covert type operations when the order came down to clean up littering in Hong Kong.

If you're going to make such a drastic rule change, you have to come down hard in the beginning. Does the government want to give the people another reason to call it weak?  Nobody said this task would be easy, but it it nothing new.  Many other cities have banned smoking already, Hong Kong has no excuse not to.