When three years ago, the then 15-year-old Steven Li, took his first drag of a cigarette, he thought the burning tobacco would bring charm and fashion to his "boring student image."

It did not take long for cigarettes to become a necessity in his life.

Li needs now at least eight cigarettes a day to quench his thirst.

"I know I am harming my health, but there are so many people smoking around me, so the harm must be slight," said the boy while blowing out smoke.

He didn't know tobacco was more harmful to minors - those who start smoking in their teens have twice the rate of lung cancer as those who begin to smoke after 20.

In Shanghai, minor smokers like Li are not rare. Statistics from the city's Education Commission find that student smokers below the age of 18 exceed 50,000. These figures do not include those who quit school after the nine-year compulsory education period, which is no doubt also a big figure.

A survey discovered that the main reason for minors to smoke was an inadequate understanding of the dangers.

The short slogan, "smoking is harmful to your health," although frequently repeated, is just too mild and simple to persuade minors to quit smoking.

The government's relatively loose control is another problem.

Although the country is firm in its commitment to stop sales of cigarettes to minors, implementing at least three national laws - respectively the tobacco sales law, the minor protection law and the law to prevent minors' misdeeds - it is still easy for minors to get cigarettes.

"The line is hardly practical," said Gan Xingfang from Shanghai Smoking and Health Association.

"It is difficult to tell whether the buyer is a minor or an adult. Surely he will not carry his identity card with him for you to check. To the sellers, profit is too important, which makes controlling sales to minors all the more difficult."

Besides, the country doesn't specify punishment for those shop assistants or vendors who sell cigarettes to minors. Only those who sell fake or smuggled tobacco products face punishment.

However, even if the country tightens controls in this area, minors can still ask adult friends to buy them.

"We know the line is difficult to implement," Gan said.

"But we hope minors would learn from this restriction that smoking is not right for them."

Yet are the kids drawing any lessons from the warning?

Statistics indicate that the proportion of smokers among students has not declined over the past five years, while the starting age has become even younger among locals. And a nationwide survey revealed that, among every 10 minors, one is a smoker.

The state laws clearly forbid anyone from smoking in places where minors gather. Schools and parents have the duty to teach children not to smoke.

"But the fact is that a lot of children are suffering from their fathers' second-hand smoke, which accounts for 60 per cent of all the involuntary passive smoke they inhale," Gan said.

"It is hard to say which side the children will take on smoking in an environment where parents and teachers are both puffing away."

An even more shocking fact is that 40 percent of the city's medical staff are smokers, which has a very negative social effect on tobacco control.

"The tobacco industry tries to assume that people are making their decisions in a vacuum and uninfluenced state," Gan said.

"But the fact is that these businessmen are working hard to waver people's choices to their side through various kinds of promotions for which the industry spends billions of dollars."

Although China has drafted laws banning tobacco advertisements on the streets, at media and sports events, tobacco companies can still connect with youth through other channels.

"In pubs there are promotion girls giving out free cigarettes, and on the streets there are indirect advertisements like 'Love Zhonghua' (a cigarette brand literally meaning China)," Gan said, with a forced smile.

"We can't ban such advertisements as the tobacco sellers can simply retort by saying 'what's wrong with saying Love China'."

In films and TV series, those subtle product-placements continue to send messages to the public, connecting smoking with success, health, freedom, maturity and fashion, and minors are the ones most easily influenced by this approach.

"It just shows that we still have a long way to go in the fight against tobacco," Gan said.

The World Health Organization has put forward the theme for this year's World No Tobacco Day, happening on May 31, as "Tobacco-Free Sports - Play it clean."

It not only excludes tobacco advertisement from sporting events, but also forbids any athletes, referees, members of the audience or coaches to smoke in a match.

"The most ridiculous connection is the one that exists between sports and tobacco, which has existed for so long and is most probably coming to an end," Gan said.

"But who knows what other tactics will come to the minds of those who promote cigarettes?

(People?s Daily May 31, 2002)