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The plain truth, proved by ever increasing medical evidence, emphasized repeatedly by health authorities, and printed on cigarette packages, has failed to prevent our innocent youth from smoking．
Many young smokers light up their first cigarette in the mistaken belief that puffing away at a cigarette is cool．
Anti-smoking supporters here in China must envy their counterparts in France．To help apply a nationwide smoking ban coming into force there on Thursday, 175,000 special inspectors and members of the police force will be sent out to watch public places．
In spite of doubts over the long-term success of the high-pitched French campaign, we admire the French authorities' determination and sincerely wish their Chinese peers could someday soon, if not today, take off their kid gloves in dealing with smoking．
When people foolishly believe smoking is cool, it is of little use telling them to stop．What the French did, just like what has been done in our Special Administrative Region(SAR)of Hong Kong, is a good way to drive home the message that smoking kills．
When smokers risk a fine for lighting a cigarette in public, smoking is no longer cool．The forceful bans in both Hong Kong and France actually make smoking in public unacceptable．
We cannot expect the same to happen here any time soon．Not until our country no longer gains high profits from tobacco．
It is embarrassing that while the central government swears to control tobacco, some local governments count on the health damaging leaves to fill their coffers(錢柜)．This is a suicidal(自殺的)addiction that must be gotten rid of．National policy needs to focus not only on the government-owned tobacco industry's profits．It must also deal with the effect of smoking on the nation's health and the huge amount of medical expenses．
If our government can help opium poppy(可制鴉片的罌粟)growers in the Golden Triangle with alternative crops, they can do the same to help our tobacco growers find practical alternatives．
This does not appear to be urgent．But it must be done since we know beyond any doubt that smoking is a serious public health risk．
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