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Sweet fumes of white smoke rise with the cries of men playing dominoes in the teahouse, spreading an unfamiliar scent in a traditional setting.
Change is wafting through the musty, masculine caf� culture of Baghdad, and fruit-flavoured tobacco is just one sign of it. The fragrant product is replacing the pure tobacco leaf smoked by generations of Iraqis in the hubble-bubble, or nargileh.
It is served in a new type of teahouse whose other attractions typically include giant TV screens, a range of soft drinks besides the traditional tea, and occasionally, a few women clients among the men.
Venues of this kind are thriving with better security in Baghdad, though other forms of leisure remain limited by the conflict.
“Where else can we go in a country where there are no places for amusement?” asked Ali Hussein, a 32-year-old motor parts dealer in Baghdad. “The cafe is heaven for us - a place to meet friends and release the fatigue of work.” . . .
According to Dhiya, the clientele inside the tearoom has changed with the decor, “Cafes used to be for people aged 25 and upward. It was shameful for anyone younger than that to be seen in one. Nowadays, you see all sorts – from teenagers to the elderly.”
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates seems to agree.
"He knows that the situation they are confronting is stressful enough as it is," said his press secretary, Geoff Morrell. "I don't think he is interested in adding to the stress levels by taking away one of the few outlets they may have to relieve stress."
He said Gates is not planning any ban, but is reviewing the study by the Institute of Medicine, which provides independent advice to policymakers, health professionals and the public, to see if steps can be taken toward having a smoke-free force some day.
U.S. military personnel and veterans interviewed by The Associated Press had strong opinions about life in the military without cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco.
Some said it would cut medical costs and make the force healthier, while eliminating smoking breaks would increase productivity. Others said it would dampen morale and reduce recruitment to the all-volunteer military.
Nearly all, however, said it was impractical and probably would never happen.
"It's an outrage," said Staff Sgt. Joe Dunn, 32. "I've been smoking for about 15 years and being forced to stop -- not on my own terms -- is something I'd have a hard time dealing with." . . .
"They've been talking about this for over 10 years now. Nothing has ever happened," said Fink, a Navy veteran and employee at the VA hospital in Nashville. A ban would drive people out of the military, he said, and "the military can't afford to lose anyone."
A study published in July in the American Journal of Public Health looked at internal tobacco company documents to determine if marketing efforts were aimed at servicemembers during the Gulf War.
Researchers found tobacco companies saw the conflict as a commercial opportunity and targeted servicemembers with free cigarettes, direct advertising, phone cards and homecoming parties.
The military, which often viewed the tobacco companies as benefactors, restricted the activity at times but frequently allowed it, according to “Everywhere the Soldier will Be: Wartime Tobacco Promotion in the U.S.”
Tobacco companies began producing and shipping free cigarettes within the first month of the war.
One company sent 10,000 cartons via the Department of Defense and others were on deck with 42,000 before the DOD acknowledged the free cigarettes were against policy and blocked further shipments, according to the study’s two researchers, Elizabith Smith and Ruth Malone . . .
Barred from providing free cigarettes, tobacco companies turned to branded merchandise such as baseball caps and playing cards.
“RJ Reynolds noted that ‘troops in Saudi Arabia definitely know that Camel Joe is behind them’ as they had received ‘over 5,000 packs of Camel playing cards … [and] a variety of premium items including sunglasses, audio cassettes and cup cozies,’” the study said. . . .
Philip Morris executives said they were “keenly interested in capitalizing on the successful military operation” and “continuing the association we started last year with the troops.”
“Over forty locations now have welcome home signs in place featuring Marlboro brand identification,” a military sales manager said in June 1991, according to the study. The company also produced the largest homecoming event for Desert Storm at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and similar events in Germany featured “extensive signage for Marlboro,” the study said.
This is a country of frazzled nerves and nicotine, where deals are struck and conspiracy theories hatched in the smokiest of rooms.
So why in the world, Iraqis demanded Thursday, would the government introduce a plan to ban smoking in public places?
Smoking is widespread in the region, and few countries have taken steps toward a ban. Jordan and Israel prohibit smoking in public places, and Qatar has a ban on indoor smoking in public places, though it is loosely enforced.
But a bill being presented to the Iraqi parliament by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's cabinet would rewrite rules in a way that many Iraqis who were interviewed described as inconceivable, by banning smoking in government buildings and public indoor areas.
"We have no electricity, no jobs, people still get killed," said Waleed Habba, 49, as he bought a pack of cigarettes at a tobacco store in downtown Baghdad. "We all have to deal with anger issues here. That's the reason people smoke here, to run away from that."
"We want Saddam back," said Ala al-Kanini, a patron at the store, referring to the late Iraqi leader. "You could do anything during Saddam's time."
We want Saddam back. You could do anything during Saddam's time.Tobacco store patron Ala al-Kanini, on Iraq's proposed smoking ban.
raq's cabinet approved a bill on Thursday to ban smoking in public places, but after years of bombings and kidnappings, chain-smoking Iraqis said they had more important things to worry about.
While violence has fallen sharply in Iraq in the last 18 months, insurgents still conduct major attacks on civilians. And with unemployment at nearly 20 percent, many Iraqis while away the day in cafes in a fog of fruity, aromatic waterpipe smoke.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the aim of the law was to reduce the number of smokers and to protect the public from smoke -- no small feat in a country where even hospital corridors are littered with cigarette butts.
"The government should worry about car bombs before worrying about the effects of smoking. It has to stop terrorism," said Ali Marham, a 35-year-old computer worker, smoking a waterpipe at a cafe in Baghdad's central Karrada district.
If ratified by parliament, the ban would include a prohibition on smoking in ministry buildings, airports, company buildings, theatres, cinemas and schools, Dabbagh said in a statement. "There will be designated areas for smoking."
It was not clear if the ban would apply to waterpipes.
The Iraqi Cabinet has approved a draft bill to ban smoking in public places, a government spokesman said Thursday. It's the first such bill in a country where lighting up is virtually a rite of passage for most young men.
The law aims to curb the number of people who start smoking and raise awareness about the dangers of cigarettes, spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said. For passage, the draft still needs approval in parliament, which is in recess until September. . . .
If passed, the Iraqi law would be one of the region's most comprehensive bans, similar to many laws in the U.S. and Europe.
The Iraqi law would make smoking illegal in public places, such as government buildings, schools, movie theaters and in public transportation. The media also would be banned from advertising cigarettes.
It also would ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 and fine anyone who is caught selling with up to 5 million Dinars, or about $4,300.
Al-Dabbagh said the law also would require cigarette companies to put warning labels on packages. . . .
Cigarettes are so inexpensive in Iraq "that even a poor boy can buy them," Hussein also said.
Nearly seven percent of adolescent Iraqis have smoked shisha, and more than three percent have smoked tobacco, raising concerns among health officials about future diseases that could arise as a result.
This was one of the findings of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey carried out recently by Iraq's Ministry of Health.
Shisha, also known as a water pipe or hookah pipe, has gained immense popularity in the Middle East.
The fact that it is so popular among Iraq youth is a red light for health officials in Iraq and is prompting officials to launch campaigns warning against the hazards of this practice and to prepare for future diseases that could occur among the adult population.
"It used to be only older aged men smoked it, but recently it's spread to all age groups,"
The owner of Fumar Cigars in Phoenix says he has collected 6,000 cigars to deliver to U.S. troops serving in Iraq.
David Haddad said he packed his collected cigars into a package for the overseas troops and is personally traveling to Iraq to present his gift as "a little bit of hospitality," The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday.
"It's an honor to the heroes … because they do what they do (in war) to make it possible so that I get to do what I do ... My company offers ... cigars to resorts all over the world," Haddad said Wednesday. "It's to bring a little bit of hospitality to the troops."
In 2008, Iraq's parliament ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) (1), which obligates participants to establish tobacco use monitoring, surveillance, and evaluation systems. Lack of data on adolescent tobacco use in Iraq led the Ministry of Health (MOH) to conduct the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in Baghdad in 2008. GYTS is a school-based survey of students aged 13--15 years that is self-administered in classes in selected schools. As in most Middle East countries, tobacco use in Iraq takes the form of cigarettes and shisha (Figure) (2). Based on GYTS results, 7.4% of students aged 13--15 years reported having ever smoked cigarettes, 12.9% had ever smoked shisha, 3.2% currently smoked cigarettes, and 6.3% currently smoked shisha. Among never smokers aged 13--15 years, 13.0% reported they were likely to initiate cigarette smoking in the next year. Future declines in adolescent tobacco use in Iraq (and Baghdad) could be enhanced by expanding existing tobacco control programs to include prevention and cessation of the use of cigarettes and shisha, implementing measures that discourage adolescents who have never smoked from initiating tobacco use, expanding legislation to ban exposure to secondhand smoke in all indoor workplaces, and enacting legislation banning pro-tobacco advertising and sponsorship. . . .
The results from the Baghdad GYTS point to a number of challenges facing MOH tobacco control efforts. First, the use of shisha is twice as prevalent as cigarette smoking. Smoking shisha originated in ancient Persia and India, and spread throughout the Middle East and Asia during the 15th century (5,6). In the 21st century, smoking shisha appears to be a new trend in tobacco use and has recently become a preferred form of tobacco smoking for young persons, specifically women, in the Arabian Peninsula (7). For Arab women, shisha smoking carries less of a cultural stigma than does cigarette smoking (5,6). This is a concern because the harmful health effects of shisha can exceed those of cigarette smoking (2). Some reports indicate that the concentration of nicotine is higher from shisha smoking than from cigarette smoking (5,6). Levels of arsenic, chromium, and lead also are higher in shisha smoking compared to single cigarette use. Additionally, because shisha sessions typically last 45--60 minutes, shisha smokers inhale higher concentrations of these toxic substances (5,6).
A second concern is that the current cigarette smoking rate for girls (2.7%) is twice that for adult female cigarette smokers in Iraq (8). In addition, the likely initiation of cigarette smoking by girls who have never smoked cigarettes (11.8%) is significantly higher than the current cigarette smoking rate for girls (2.7%). These findings might indicate that girls' cigarette use is increasing
Although hookah cafes have enjoyed a fad in Western cities from Los Angeles to Berlin in the last few years, and smoking establishments are common throughout the Middle East, Iraqis have only recently embraced them.
The reason: Under dictator Saddam Hussein, the smoke-filled shisha clubs were seen as a breeding ground for conspiracy and dissent. The few restaurants and hotels allowed to open the cafes required numerous government permits and attracted a corps of eavesdropping intelligence agents.
It wasn't until the last year, when Iraq's security situation began to stabilize and business investment began to trickle back, that shisha cafes started popping up on Baghdad's streets.
Today the city has hundreds of them, varying from hole-in-the-wall dives to lavishly decorated salons.
American sailors and Marines stationed in Iraq are more than twice as likely to use tobacco products as the average American, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.
In a survey of 408 Marines and sailors, Dr. Michael A. Wilson found 64% used some form of tobacco: 52% smoked cigarettes, 36% used smokeless tobacco and 24% used both. In contrast, the national average for tobacco use is 29.6%. Wilson found the rate of tobacco use is higher now among U.S. troops in Iraq than was found in a 2004 survey of troops returning from the war.
Tobacco use was clearly linked to military service. About half of those surveyed said they had never used tobacco products before joining the military. . . .
Some controversy has surrounded the military's efforts to discourage tobacco use. Smoking among the troops has always been linked with deployment to foreign lands, but much more is known today about the health hazards of smoking . . .
"There is a culture of acceptance about tobacco in the military. . . .
The Defense Department recently launched a virtual anti-smoking campaign targeting enlisted personnel between ages 18 and 25 called "Quit Tobacco, Make Everyone Proud." The Department of Veterans Affairs also has a website on smoking cessation. But more effort should be spent to discourage tobacco use among newly enlisted troops and to discourage smoking in the war zone, Wilson said in an interview with The Times.
Ban on smoking in public places and selling tobacco to people under 20 have cut sales of cigarettes in the GCC by 12 per cent, according to industry experts.
Total sales across the region are about 60 billion cigarettes a year and Saudi Arabia is the largest market with an annual total of 12 billion. Small- and medium-sized tobacco manufacturers expect their business volume to decline further due to increased taxes and restrictions in regional markets.
But global giants such as British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International (PMI), which dominate the market, recorded an increased sales in the first quarter of 2008 mainly due to higher turnover in East Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Eema).
-- Text of Ambassador Ryan Crocker's testimony to Congress on Monday, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions. . . .
In Anbar, as General Petraeus has noted, the progress on the security side has been extraordinary. Six months ago, violence was rampant, our forces were under daily attack and Iraqis were cowering from the intimidation of al-Qaida. But al-Qaida overplayed its hand in Anbar.
And Anbaris began to reject its successes, be they beheading school children or cutting off people's fingers as punishment for smoking.
Recognizing that the coalition would help reject al-Qaida, the tribes began to fight with us, not against us. The landscape in Anbar is dramatically different as a result.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Freshly minted GOP White House hopeful Fred Thompson puzzled Iowans yesterday by insisting an Al Qaeda smoking ban was one reason freedom-loving Iraqis bolted to the U.S. side.
"They said, 'You gotta quit smoking,'" Thompson explained to a questioner asking about progress in Iraq during a town hall-style meeting.
Thompson said the smoking ban and terror tactics Al Qaeda used to oppress women and intimidate local leaders pushed tribes in western Anbar Province to support U.S. troops.
But Thompson's tale of a smokers' revolt baffled some in the audience of about 150 who came to decide whether the former Tennessee senator is ready for prime time.
"I don't know what that was about," said Jim Moran, 72, who had driven from nearby McCook Lake, S.D.
Amid the explosions echoing through the mountains of Afghanistan, or the ruins of an Iraqi neighborhood, the robust aroma of a fine cigar is helping U.S. troops remember life back home.
Quality cigars, by some estimates, are second only to Starbucks coffee on the wish list of troops overseas. Where but Tampa, Cigar City, can the need best be met?
Enter Thompson Cigars, a 92-year-old retailer near Tampa International Airport, along with a dedicated employee and an ex-Navy man with a passion for helping the troops overseas. . . .
A month after terrorists struck New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, Thompson began getting requests from overseas troops for cigars. Initially, the company just sent free boxes of cigars to those who asked.
Now, it's a big-time giveaway. About 10,000 free cigars of all brands and varieties were shipped last year to troops, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan. That amounts to $50,000 worth of finely rolled tobacco, said Thompson Cigars' owner, Carlos Franzblau.