BEIJING - On May 1, a new law prohibiting smoking in most public places went into effect in China, the BBC News reports. The ban extends to buses, bars and restaurants, but not workplaces.

Chinese leaders say that smoking kills more than a million citizens annually, with that number to triple during the next 20 years. The ban is an effort to curb that number.

The law also prohibits businesses from selling cigarettes via vending machines in public areas. However, enforcement of the ban has little teeth, as penalties for violations have not been specified by the government. Each province will be able to set its own fines for infractions instead.

As a Shanghai smoker said, "I don't think this policy will make much difference, particularly in the smaller cities in the countryside, where smoking is more part of the culture."

In China, the government has a monopoly on the sale of tobacco products, which generates significant revenue in taxes.