SICHUAN, CHINA – A Chinese tobacco company has been given permission to market their product and create a new generation of smokers at an elementary school, state media reported.
Built in the wake of last year’s deadly earthquake in Sichuan province, the Sichuan Tobacco Project Hope Primary School is funded by China Tobacco Company, the Beijing Daily reported.
Young students are exposed to banners throughout the campus such as “Work hard for society! Tobacco can help you become an achiever!”
Tobacco is a leading cause of cancer and effects of the marketing messages will mislead students into thinking that smoking is safe, Xu Jinhua, vice director of China Tobacco Control Association, said.
“This flies in the face of rules that cigarettes cannot be marketed to children,” Xu said. “By putting ‘tobacco’ in the name of the school, cigarette manufacturers are actively promoting youth smoking.”
Meng Lingao, a spokesperson for China Tobacco, said that the company only wants to be a good corporate citizen.
“Tobacco firms should not be barred from contributing to social welfare simply because the cigarettes they produce are harmful to their user’s health,” Meng was quoted by Beijing Today.
Project Hope created 69 other schools sponsored by tobacco companies in other provinces including Liaoning, Qinghai, Guizhou, Anhui, Guangxi, Hubei and Yunnan, the Beijing Youth Daily said.
China is the world's largest tobacco producer, consumer and victim. It is estimated that there are currently 350 million smokers in the country. In October, NBA superstar Yao Ming was tapped an anti-smoking ambassador for the China Tobacco Control Association. The 7’6 Houston Rockets player will tape public service announcements to help Chinese citizens kick the habit.
Comments