By Karen Zhang

As Guangzhou is experimenting with enforcement of a smoking ban in public places， it reminds me of the smoking ban in America. When I first arrived on campus in America， I noticed that there were some students—men and women—smoking outside their dorms and academic buildings.

It is a law in America that smoking is not allowed in all public indoor places including restaurants， entertainment outlets， hospitals， schools， supermarkets and offices， to name a few. So smokers have to go outside to puff[抽煙] their cigarettes.

In fact， it is quite noticeable in America to spot the smokers as they tend to stand outdoors around a smoking bin. Rain or shine， or even snow， there is no exception for smokers to break the smoking ban law.

It is also a law that all residential buildings must install smoke alarms not only in public areas but also inside each individual household. If you dont have any experience with smoke alarms in China， you should be aware of your responsibility as a tenant[房客] in America. You must check your smoke alarm at least once a year to make sure its batteries are in good shape and the alarm works well， although I am sure a landlord will also share this responsibility with a tenant.

When it comes to fire safety， Americans voluntarily observe the restrictions. Smokers will excuse themselves to smoke outside even though they are in the midst of doing something. Nobody wants to take a chance to start a fire by smoking indoors. Their politeness and respect to the smoke-free environment is highly appreciated.

Perhaps American women undertake more stress than men. It is not uncommon to see women smoking on the street in America. The number of women smokers in America is much higher than that in China. However， China ranks at the top， in terms of the number of smokers around the world. With the governments law enforcement and public promotion of a healthy lifestyle， I hope the number of Chinese smokers will drop in the years to come. But it is still a long way to go， not to mention that many Chinese smokers ignore the no-smoking sign in public places.