Beijing Government adopted anti-smoking legislation to ban smoking in all indoor public places, workplaces and public transport vehicles on Friday. The regulation is scheduled to become effective on June 1 next year.

According to the bill, smoking is also prohibited in open-air space in kindergartens, schools, child welfare institutions, women and children's hospitals, fitness and sports venues, and cultural relic protection sites that are open to the public.

Tobacco advertisements are not allowed to appear outdoors, in public places and transport, as well as in media including radio, TV, films, newspapers, books, and internet. All forms of tobacco promotions and title sponsorship are banned.

Teachers are forbidden from smoking in front of students in primary and secondary schools. Schools are also required to help students quit smoking and educate them about the harm of smoking.

The regulation also prohibits selling cigarettes to minors through vending machines and the internet.

People who smoke in designated smoke-free areas will be fined up to 200 yuan (32.5 U. S. dollars).

According to the regulation, legal representatives and people in charge of government agencies, public institutions and social organizations will be given the authority to implement the smoking ban in their workplaces. The main responsibility to enforce the regulation in Beijing will be on the shoulders of health inspectors.

As an earlier achievement, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games were declared smoke-free.

Introduction of this regulation is the most advanced example of implementation of Articles 8 and 13 of the WHO FCTC by China. A national regulation on smoking in public places is now under open consultation by the State Council Legal Affairs Office.