[[alternative]]A STUDY ON THE LEGISLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION EFFECTS OF TOBACCO CONTROL LAWS IN TAIWAN, KOREA, AND THAILAND

[[abstract]]This is a qualitative study, which intends to understand the contents of tobacco control laws in Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand, their implementation, and the effects of implementation. The study also intends to point out the future directions of tobacco hazards control in the Asia-Pacific region and make some recommendations for Taiwan’s tobacco hazards control efforts. The present study has extensively reviewed government publications, web site information, research reports, and other documents collected either directly or through friends and acquaintances, and by way of two surveys for data collection. Major findings and recommendations are as follows: 1. Contents of Tobacco Control and Other Relevant Laws in Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand Taiwan and Thailand are similar in the contents of their tobacco control laws to restrict smoking in public areas and work sites, regulate sales and promotion of tobacco products, prohibit smoking of minors, and enforce labeling of health warnings on cigarette packs. The Korean laws are relatively general and are not legislated specifically for the control of tobacco hazards. The Korean laws stipulate several regulations in principle and leave the formulation of specific strategies to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. 2. Implementation Effects of the Tobacco Hazards Control Laws in Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand For the inadequacy of information, and also for the short period of time since the implementation of the laws in these countries, analysis of the effects before and after the implementation of these laws was somewhat limited. Countries under the present study are relatively lenient in law enforcement, the effects of these laws are not significant. 3. Prospects of Tobacco Control in the Asia-Pacific Region In the future, for tobacco hazards control laws in countries in the Asia-Pacific region to be effective, they should be enacted specifically for the purpose of health promotion and protection, and enforced with rigor. More funds should be raised and more stable financial sources secured for the sustained promotion of tobacco hazards control. Regional criteria for assessment and databanks should be established to provide the administration with precise and prompt information for reference in the formulation of control strategies. 4. Recommendations for Taiwan A permanent database for the assessment of tobacco hazards control should be established based on the existing public health database. Families and schools should be the primary units for the promotion of anti-smoking in adolescents. Parents, schoolteachers, and students should be encouraged to participate actively in the promotion. Private citizens in anti-smoking should be organized to be responsible for the periodic inspection of their responsibility areas to assist the government in the enforcement of the tobacco hazards control laws. Sufficient funds should be made available from tobacco taxes for anti-smoking education. Various anti-smoking education activities should be designed and conducted for different target groups on regular basis. 5. Issues for Further Study Studies on the following issues may have been conducted in some developed countries, findings in the Asia-Pacific region are generally inconsistent and more studies are needed. These issues are what is the impact of economic crisis on smoking behavior, and how long will the impact last and fade-out? How long will the impact of law enforcement on smoking behavior last and fade-out? And, what is the impact of price adjustment of tobacco products on tobacco consumption and how long will the impact last and fade-out?