China's health officials are pushing for new regulations requiring photos or other graphics on cigarette packs depicting the hazards of smoking. Currently, there is only a discreet warning on the side of cigarette packs that says “Smoking is harmful to your health.” Popular Web portal Sohu.com. is hosting the official Web site of the effort, part of a campaign called “Toward a smoke-free China.” The site will collect online signatures and opinions, which will be presented to legislators ahead of next month's annual meeting of the National People's Congress. It was not immediately clear what effect the signature drive will have and may end up being an incremental step toward better tobacco control in a country where cigarettes are tightly woven into everyday life. They're an icebreaker, a way of greeting a friend, and a means of bribery. The government relies heavily on revenues from state-owned tobacco companies, which made $53.6 billion in 2007. China is currently home to 350 million smokers – a third of the global total -- and almost 2 trillion cigarettes are sold every year. The government estimates 1 million Chinese die of smoking-related deaths annually and the figure is projected to double by 2020. The center said that most Chinese still don't realize the harmful effects of tobacco. Many refuse to quit and still follow the traditional practice of offering them as gifts during holidays and other special occasions. __
