Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan today opened a conference to mark 35 years of tobacco control in Hong Kong and to develop a blueprint for a smoke-free city.
She said tobacco consumption is the most important preventable risk factor responsible for the main causes of death, cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
She added tobacco consumption caused nearly 7,000 deaths in Hong Kong and more than seven million deaths worldwide each year.
She said the Government's tobacco control policy aims to safeguard public health by discouraging smoking, curbing the spread of tobacco use and minimising the impact of passive smoking.
Through a multipronged approach of legislation, enforcement, publicity, education, smoking cessation services and taxation, the smoking prevalence rate in Hong Kong has dropped from 23.3% in early 1982 to 10.5% in 2015, she added.
Director of Health Dr Constance Chan said despite the considerable progress made, more effort is needed to meet the emerging challenges of novel smoking products marketed with unproven claims they are healthier alternatives to cigarettes.
Overseas and local experts discussed at today's conference the successful measures curbing the tobacco epidemic, and testing and regulating novel tobacco products.
They will discuss testing e-cigarettes and novel tobacco products, and challenges in regulating these items in two round-table sessions tomorrow.
