Tobacco.org

No Day at the Beach  

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt . . .

Welcome to the reporters' prison camp.

The grandly titled "International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza" is being held at this Red Sea resort town of beautiful beaches, soaring mountains and sparkling blue water. But we are stuck in a dreary, claustrophobic and unbelievably smoky room.

Such is the grand life of diplomatic correspondence. There are few things less glamorous than a bunch of European, Arab and Asian hacks working in stuffy rooms, puffing on no-filter cigarettes and chatting loudly.

Egypt is sponsoring this conference, with brings together 75 countries and organizations, some represented by heads of states. . . .

We get to go through another one of these international meetings when Clinton attends a NATO ministerial in Brussels on Thursday. But NATO, thankfully, has banned all smoking inside. Sitting 10 hours in a smoky room is punishment enough for one week.

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• BAT, South Sinai partner on ‘Respecting Choices’ 

British American Tobacco, Egypt (BAT) signed a memorandum of understanding with the South Sinai governorate to provide hotel, restaurant and café patrons in Sharm El-Sheikh with designated smoking and non-smoking areas.

Under the framework of BAT’s global “Respecting Choices” initiative, the campaign will see some 200 hospitality staff in the city trained on the proper procedures regarding smoking in public places, including ventilation methods and area designation.

“As a major global holiday destination, and the first Green City in Egypt, we feel that we must do all we can to ensure that various options are available to all guests,” said Mohamed Hani Metwalli, South Sinai governor.

Through this project, clear signage will be placed in outlets directing both non-smokers and smokers to their respective areas. Staff will also undergo training sessions by BAT prior to the launch, in order to ensure that they are able to understand the policies, explain them and properly enforce them.

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• BAT, South Sinai Governorate sign MoU focusing on public place smoking  

British American Tobacco, Egypt (BAT), together with the South Sinai Governorate, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at providing hotel, restaurant and café patrons in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh with designated non-smoking and smoking areas.

Developed under the framework of BAT's global 'Respecting Choices' initiative and in partnership with the South Sinai Governorate, the campaign will see some 200 hospitality staff in the city trained in the proper procedures regarding public place smoking, including ventilation methods and area designation.

'As a major global holiday destination, and the first Green City in Egypt, we feel that we must do all we can to ensure that various options are available for all of our guests,' says Mohamed Hani Metwalli, Governor of South Sinai. 'This partnership with BAT allows all guests to enjoy the city's hospitality outlets while taking into account the need for specially assigned smoking areas.'

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• Tobacco studies win Hamdan prize  

Recently, his breathing became so laboured he responded to a get-help ad in the newspaper.

He called the Syrian Centre for Tobacco Studies, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of smoking. . . .

Founded in 2002, the clinic consists of three rooms jammed with medical equipment. Patients smoke water pipes while doctors monitor their vital signs.

It is here Mr Yareen receives counselling for his addiction. But this personal battle is part of a much greater war to end Syria's love affair with smoking. And the world has noticed. Through research, health campaigns and collaborations with hospitals in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and the United States, the centre has been recognised with the Hamdan Award for best medical institute in the Arab world.

From this small office, researchers have worked with the American University in Beirut to study the harmful effects of water pipe smoking; Jordan University to investigate smoking among youth; John Hopkins University in the United States to research Arab children's exposure to second-hand smoke; and the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom to study the determinants of women's health in poor cities in Syria.

The centre is supported by a five-year grant from the US National Institutes of Health.

Abdulla bin Souqat, the director of the Hamdan Awards, said the Syrian Centre is a rallying force that works to dispel strong misconceptions associated with smoking.

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• Graphic photo on cigarette packs has zero effect on smokers, says CAPMAS study  

The notorious picture of a hospital patient that was recently placed on all cigarette packs has not affected the number of smokers, nor cigarette sales in Egypt, a study by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) revealed.

A picture of a patient with a breathing mask on his face — implying a lung disease — was placed on cigarette packs as specified by the new tobacco law that was approved by the People’s Assembly (PA) last June. The law stipulates that a detailed health warning should cover 50 percent of the pack on both sides.

The study by CAPMAS also found that more than 5 percent of an Egyptian family’s income is spent on cigarettes versus 2 percent of the income which is spent on health. In addition, the study also stated that developing nations spend $2,000 billion annually on cigarettes and citizens below the age of 35 represent 67 percent of total smokers in the country.

According to a report released by the health committee at the People’s Assembly, Egyptians smoke 19 billion cigarettes a year, spending LE 3 billion annually, and smokers in Egypt increases by 6 to 9 percent every year as compared to 1 percent in the West.

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Egypt's Eastern says raises some cigarette prices  

's Eastern Tobacco EAST.CA said on Monday it had raised the price of a packet of some types of cigarettes by 0.25 Egyptian pounds ($0.05). It said in a statement the prices for Cleopatra Box, New Cleopatra Lites, Lite, Boston, Capitol, Super Star, Belmont and Golden King would rise.

The new prices took effect on Sept. 1. It

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• New tobacco law ineffective, says Industries Union  

Instead of deterring smokers, the new set of warning pictures printed on cigarette packs are driving up the sales of metal cigarette boxes, Ibrahim El Embaby, head of the Tobacco Industry Division of the Industries Union, told local press.

According to the new tobacco law, which was approved by the People’s Assembly (PA) last June, a detailed health warning has to cover 50 percent of the pack on both sides. In addition to warning labels, cigarette packs now feature pictures explaining the side effects of smoking: a dying man in an oxygen mask, and a limp cigarette in reference to impotence, among others.

In addition, all forms of tobacco advertising are prohibited, and a 10 percent increase is added to the price of cigarettes. . . .

numbers show that the law is ineffective.

“For the manufacturers, pictures and warning labels on packs are nothing but a routine procedure and will not make their consumer quit smoking because it’s the ingredients of the cigarettes, like nicotine, which are addictive,” said Mahmoud Aoshb, a economics expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

“The Ministry of Health has to step in with intensive awareness campaigns in order to get Egyptians to quit smoking,” he added.

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Life Without Smoking 

Imagine an enemy that kills one person every six seconds with non stop-killing. He is also responsible for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide, killing 5.4 million people a year! You may see his shadow at home, work, and even on the street you walk in. What do you think you could do to stop this enemy who threatens every one you love?

This is the question that motivated Nesreen Dabos from Egypt, to start a campaign against smoking tobacco which is described by (WHO) as one of the greatest emerging health disasters in human history. Dabous and her team named their campaign "Hayah bela tadkhen" or "Life Without Smoking" expressing their hope for a tobacco-free world.

The Beginning

"It was 3 years ago, when one of my relatives died from angina pectoris because he was a heavy smoker. . . .

"Hyah team" launched "Beaches Without Smoking" campaign this week. You will find the campaign's booth in Alexandria's beaches. They are holding competitions and matches among smokers beside their basic activities. It is your rare chance to enjoy your summer while challenging yourself to stop this bad habit.

Do you know!

A huge proportion of people do not realize how smoking is ruinous.

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Tobacco in Egypt to 2011 - New Research Report on Companies and Markets 

This databook is a detailed information resource covering all the key data points on Tobacco in Egypt. It includes comprehensive value volume segmentation and market share data. The databook supplies actual data to 2006 and full forecasts to 2011.

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Alexandria City Centre celebrates World No Tobacco Day 

Alexandria City Centre, Egypt's landmarkshopping destination, celebrated the World Health Organisation's 'World No Tobacco Day' with a campaign aimed to educate smokers and non-smokers alike about the dangerous effects of smoking.

The initiative saw Alexandria City Centre tie up with two local charities, Future Protectors and Good Companions, to set up a kiosk at the Centre with 30 volunteers distributing information of the ill effects of smoking and giving away mugs to visitors.

The volunteer staff along with the house keeping and security at the Centre supported the efforts by wearing a 'World No Tobacco Day' t-shirt to increase awareness.

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Arabs Import 200 Billion Cigarettes Annually; Spend on Tobacco More Than Health and Education Expenditures 

'A ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship', this is WHO's call to world governments on the eve of World No Tobacco Day, 31 May.

The initiative calls for cooperation with WHO to protect the world’s 1.8 billion young of smoking hazards. "The tobacco industry employs predatory marketing strategies to get young people hooked to their addictive drug", said Dr. Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative.

Bettcher pointed out that the initiative of comprehensive advertising bans do work, reducing tobacco consumption by up to 16% in countries that have already taken this legislative step. "Half measures are not enough. We urge governments to impose a complete ban to break the tobacco marketing net," added Dr. Bettcher.

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• Egypt fights smoking culture with stark warnings 

Starting Aug. 1, cigarette labels in Egypt will be required to carry images of the effects of smoking: a dying man in an oxygen mask, a coughing child, and a limp cigarette symbolizing impotence.

It's a major step in Egypt's fledgling anti-smoking campaign and a dramatic change in a country where public discussion of smoking's health risks is nearly nonexistent.

"I would like to quit but I just can't. But when you see pictures like this, like that sick man, that has an effect -- it does encourage you to stop," said Osama Sabri Mohammed, . . .

"This one specifically will have an effect on Egyptians, since they are really concerned about that," he said, when shown the image of the limp cigarette. . . .

But the campaign faces a tough challenge among Egypt's die-hard smokers.

Egypt is one of the top 15 smoking countries in the world: Nearly 60 percent of all adult males in this country of 79 million people use tobacco in some form, compared to the United States where around 24 percent of men smoke cigarettes.

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Egypt's Eastern Tobacco 9-month profit up 20.7 pct  

Egypt's Eastern Tobacco EAST.CA posted a 20.7 percent rise in nine-month net profit to 556.4 million Egyptian pounds ($103.9 million), the stock exchange said in a statement.

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• Smokers won’t quit but they might shift 

After a period of relative stability, cigarettes will now be sold at higher prices as part of the newly declared price hikes the government instituted to finance public sector wage increases.

The ubiquitous local Cleopatra brand will now sell for LE 3 up from LE 2.25. At the opposite end of the spectrum Marlboro brands have seen a LE 1.5 increase from LE 7.50 to LE 9.

Brands such as Rothmans and L&M have also seen an increase of at least one pound to reach LE 5.5.

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Egypt's tax, prices hikes stun the nation, fuel concern of more discontent  

Egyptians on Tuesday criticized fuel and cigarette price increases meant to fund a 30 percent hike in government salaries, worried the latest move by the authorities will once again leave them struggling to buy basic goods. . . .

Then, parliament late Monday passed a bill to muster up the US$3.6 billion needed for the salary raises. It increased taxes and cigarette prices . . .

Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif promised the parliament bill won't burden the low income class, but on Cairo streets, many were feeling the pinch. The cost of cigarettes, a necessity for many in this country of heavy smokers, went up by about 10 percent.

Mustafa Fathy said he would drop his brand, Marlboro, which now costs 9 Egyptian pounds, or US$1.70, for the local Cleopatra, at 3.50 Egyptian pounds, or 60 cents a pack.

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