Smoke or be punished : Silly step to boost economy

Believe it or not, Chinese civil servants who refuse or fail to consume a sufficient amount of locally made cigarettes, will be fined. All local government agencies and institutions should aim to consume 230,000 packs of Hubei Province-produced cigarettes a year, or about 4 million Yuan ($588,235). Departments that fail to consume sufficient cigarettes or consumed non-local brand cigarettes would be fined, according to Hubei-based Chutian Metropolis Daily newspaper.
The regulation will boost the local economy via cigarette tax. The regulation included punishments but not that strict. The regulation is just a general guideline and does not target specific tobacco brands.
China has 350 million smokers, of whom a million die of smoking-related diseases every year. In such situation, this step is completely not only a silly one but also disastrous.