Recently, the Shenzhen Health Commission released an article titled 'Second hand Smoke, Actually a Bullying', which went viral. The article states that smoking in public places is not the freedom of smokers, but bullying non-smokers, and that 'breathing freely is the freedom of more people'. The statement that 'second-hand smoke is actually a form of bullying' is not the first time it has appeared. The so-called 'bullying' is a visual term that mainly refers to the health harm of secondhand smoke to non-smokers. At the same time, it also implies that people affected by second-hand smoke need to get rid of this embarrassing situation. Its resurgence indicates that there are still many people in real life who are troubled by second-hand smoke. This is in line with a previous survey result - about 96% of surveyed netizens said they had smoked second-hand smoke. How to resolve the "bullying" of second-hand smoke has been a long-standing issue from legislation to social discussion. According to reports, as of May last year, 24 provinces and 254 cities across the country have introduced regulations related to tobacco control. This cannot be said to be progress. However, nowadays, the phenomenon of second-hand smoke "bullying" is still widespread in various regions, even accompanied by real-life conflicts. Last year, the incident of actor Xu Jiao discouraging men from smoking and stealing their phones in a restaurant went viral on Weibo. In reality, although smoking bans in public places have been written into law in many places, it is not easy to oppose the "bullying" of second-hand smoke. There are some opinions that suggest promoting nationwide tobacco control legislation as soon as possible. For example, in 2014, the Health and Family Planning Commission drafted the "Regulations on Smoking Control in Public Places (Draft for Review)" and entered the stage of soliciting opinions. However, until now, the Regulations on Smoking Control in Public Places have not been officially promulgated. In the long run, it is necessary to accelerate the legislative process of tobacco control. However, this does not mean that under the current regulatory framework, promoting smoking control in public places and effectively curbing second-hand smoke are completely helpless. In fact, aside from the tobacco control regulations introduced by various regions in recent years, as early as 2011, the "Implementation Rules for the Regulations on Public Place Health Management" clearly stated that smoking is prohibited in indoor public places, and required that public place operators should set up prominent anti smoking warnings and signs; Public place operators should carry out publicity on the harm of smoking to health and provide dedicated (part-time) personnel to dissuade smokers. From this perspective, the "bullying" of second-hand smoke is still commonplace, not only because of the lag in high-level legislation, but also because some smoking control requirements that have been clearly defined through regulations and local legislation have not been effectively implemented. An awkward reality that must be faced is that many people become "justified" in smoking in public places, while dissuasors are actually "lacking confidence", not because they are not clear about smoking control regulations, but because the social atmosphere against second-hand smoke "bullying" is seriously insufficient. It can be imagined that when all public places can set up prominent no smoking warnings and signs, operators strictly enforce smoking bans, and relevant regulations can also grow teeth, it can effectively resolve the "legitimacy" of illegal smokers and give persuaders confidence. In this regard, Shanghai's approach has certain reference value. As the earliest city in China to implement local tobacco control regulations, the adult smoking rate in Shanghai has decreased from nearly 27% in 2010 to 19.2% currently. In order to further curb the harm of second-hand smoke, Shanghai has launched the "Tobacco Control Trilogy", which includes "comprehensive indoor smoking ban, no outdoor recreational smoking, and smoking please see signs". On the basis of strengthening the supervision and law enforcement of legally prohibited smoking places and promoting publicity and advocacy, the "combination of dredging and blocking" is used to jointly control outdoor "recreational smoking". It is reported that since 2017, the average annual amount of tobacco control law enforcement penalties in Shanghai has been nearly 2.2 million yuan, and by the end of 2024, the cumulative amount has exceeded 17 million yuan, leading the country in law enforcement efforts. At the same time, the "Requirements for the Setting and Management of Outdoor Smoking Points" have been introduced, clarifying that all types of places should set up outdoor smoking points in a scientific and standardized manner according to the requirements, and incorporate them into the place map and guidance system. In this way, the smoking control atmosphere in the entire city has significantly increased. Correspondingly, "illegal" smoking becomes even more out of place and creates a conflict with the entire social environment. In this situation, the difficulty of discouraging "illegal" smoking naturally becomes lower. At the end of the day, combating the "bullying" of secondhand smoke requires a collective effort from society. Strict accountability in business premises and the popularization and enforcement of smoking control regulations are necessary to make "illegal" smoking behavior feel more direct pressure in reality. When the "aura" and misconception that "illegal" smoking is not taken seriously are completely reversed, curbing the "bullying" of second-hand smoke will be twice the result with half the effort. (New Society)