In 2021, Hong Kong successfully reduced its smoking prevalence to 9.5% from 23.3% in 1982. The Government has committed to the target of reducing smoking prevalence further to 7.8% by 2025 as part of a strategic action plan to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases in Hong Kong. The target will require ambitious measures to reduce cigarette use, but also to prevent any new tobacco products from entering the local market. Banning new tobacco products is an essential step in Hong Kong’s tobacco control efforts.

Smoke-free Index Myanmar: Implementation of WHO FCTC Article 8 (PDF 18.7mb)
Protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in Myanmar, 2022.

Tobacco Charity Exposed: Review of the Tobacco Industry’s CSR Activities in the ASEAN Region (PDF 1 MB)
As tobacco advertisements, promotions, and sponsorships are being restricted or prohibited by governments in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the tobacco industry increasingly resorts to more insidious strategies to promote its products to consumers.
Tobacco companies conduct their so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to divert attention from the diseases and harms caused by their products, buy goodwill and publicity, influence policy development, and weaken or hinder the implementation of tobacco control policies.
This report zeroes in on the CSR activities of the tobacco industry across the ASEAN region and presents recommendations for governments to address these machinations and protect and uphold policies in place for tobacco control.

Tobacco industry duplicity: Recycling an old marketing code (PDF 3.2mb)
This report aims to expose the deceptive practice of the tobacco industry to push for voluntary codes in order to mislead, gain public and government acceptance, and avoid strict regulations.
The industry’s promotion of tobacco and nicotine products, under the guise of harm reduction, is a strategy to lobby against stringent regulations. It refers to these products as “reduced-risk” products and differentiates them from cigarettes and other tobacco products, which it brands as “high-risk” products. This is reminiscent of the industry rhetoric that light, mild, or low-tar cigarettes are “less harmful” than regular cigarettes.

Banning electronic smoking devices works: Lessons from Singapore for the ASEAN (PDF 1.3mb)
The ASEAN market is flooded with electronic smoking devices (ESDs) such as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs). While the tobacco industry and nicotine industry aggressively promote ESDs as “less harmful” to recruit customers, these products are not safe and only worsen the tobacco epidemic.
This report from SEATCA features lessons from Singapore in successfully banning ESDs to prevent these products from being entrenched in the country. The government uses a multi-pronged approach, involving cooperation and coordination with relevant government agencies, to enforce the ban and address illegal entry of ESDs and related violations of the law.