The nation’s number of smokers has declined over the past three years, but their average daily consumption of cigarettes has increased over the same period, a Department of Health report shows. The department released the report to mark the third anniversary of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法), which took effect on Jan. 11, 2009. The report said the number of smokers shrank by 420,000 over the past three years, but per capita daily consumption has increased to 18.9 cigarettes. The act greatly expanded the categories of mandatory smoke-free places to include indoor public places and indoor workplaces with a staff of three or more people.
Feng Chung-yi (馮宗蟻), a researcher at the Bureau of Health promotion’s Health Education Center, said the center had conducted an extensive survey to examine the impact of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act on smoking.
