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• 'Jordan committed to implementation of tobacco control treaty' 

Jordan is committed to the implementation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), Minister of Health Nayef Fayez said on Tuesday, noting that it was the second country in the region to endorse it.

The Ministry of Health has formed a committee to draw up a plan to implement articles 9 and 10 of the convention, which entered into force in 2005, he added.

"We are studying the possibility of enlarging the graphic warning printed on tobacco packets from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of the pack's total size," Fayez said at a meeting of 20 FCTC state parties to discuss the implementation of articles 9 and 10 yesterday.

He added that the ministry is also studying printing other graphics related to the impact of smoking on health.

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约旦机场和购物中心将禁烟 

新华网安曼2月20日电(记者于晓华苏小坡)据《约旦时报》20日报道，约旦卫生部规定从3月1日起，约旦阿莉娅王后国际机场和国内各购物中心将正式禁止吸烟。

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• VIDEO: Swine flu fears impact hookah smokers in Jordan 

Worldfocus partner Al Arabiya reports from the front lines of the hookah-smoking world in Jordan (translated and narrated by Worldfocus producer Mohammad al-Kassim).

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• Fast-food restaurants to become smoke-free zones as of June 1 

The Kingdom’s fast-food restaurants will officially become smoke-free zones as of June 1, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, the Health Ministry said the decision was taken in collaboration with the Jordan Restaurants Association (JRA), as part of a plan to declare all restaurants smoke-free by the end of this year.

JRA President Zeid Goussous said the association is still conducting a study on the impact of the law before implementing it in tourist restaurants, noting that they “still need more time to study its effect on business”.

“It is easier to implement the law in fast-food restaurants,” Goussous told The Jordan Times yesterday, adding that the decision and the implementation mechanism will depend on the results of the study.

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• Restaurants demand postponement of smoking ban 

The Jordan Restaurants Association (JRA) has called for postponing the implementation of the Public Health Law, which bans smoking in public places, until the end of the year, a JRA official said on Sunday.

The Ministry of Health issued a circular banning smoking in shopping malls starting March 1, while restaurants were given until June to abide by the law so they have enough time to study the implementation mechanisms.

However, the restaurants said they needed more time.

“We cannot implement the law that soon. We need to move step by step to be able to ban smoking in restaurants, and I think it needs years, not months, to enforce the ban,” JRA Deputy President Essam Fakhreldin told The Jordan Times yesterday.

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• Nearly one-third of UNRWA students tobacco users - survey 

Nearly one-third of students at UNRWA-administered schools in Jordan use tobacco products, according to a survey released on Monday.

According to the UN’s “Global Youth Tobacco Survey”, 12.7 per cent of UNRWA students in Jordan smoke cigarettes, while 13.2 per cent use other forms of tobacco.

Nearly one in five students smoke argileh, 25.4 per cent of boys and 12.9 per cent of girls, according to the study, which was conducted by the UN agency in 20 UNRWA schools across the Kingdom.

The study, which surveyed 1,500 students between the ages 13 and 15, aimed to determine the prevalence of tobacco use at UNRWA schools across the region, Ali Khader, chief of health protection and promotion at UNRWA in Amman, told The Jordan Times yesterday.

According to the survey’s findings, UNWRA students are subjected to “very high” amounts of secondhand smoke,

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Jordan: Restaurants still studying feasibility of applying smoking ban 

The Jordan Restaurants Association (JRA) is still studying the feasibility of implementing the Public Health Law which bans smoking in public places, a JRA official said on Saturday.

"We cannot implement the law immediately since this might negatively affect the industry," JRA Deputy President Essam Fakhreldin told The Jordan Times, adding that a study should be conducted on the impact of the law before implementing it.

"We will assign a third party to conduct a study on customers' readiness to accept the ban. Each country is unique and has its own culture. The success of this law in Europe does not mean the same result will be achieved in Jordan," Fakhreldin explained.

The Ministry of Health last month issued a circular banning smoking in shopping malls starting March 1, while enforcing the law in restaurants has been postponed until June to give them enough time to study the implementation mechanisms.

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Jordan: Airport, malls to become smoke-free 

Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA)Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) and the country's malls will officially become smoke-free zones as of March 1, the Ministry of HealthMinistry of Health said on Thursday.

In a statement received by The Jordan Times, Minister of Health Salah Mawajdeh said the ministry informed shopping mall owners and airport personnel on Thursday of the enforcement of the Public Health Law, which prohibits smoking in public areas.

Mawajdeh said the ministry had several meetings with shopping mall and restaurant owners to develop a mechanism for implementing the law.

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King Hussein Cancer Center adopts a number of smoking cessation treatments 

Amman: In an effort to fight the smoking epidemic, and due to the increasing number of smokers in Jordanian that has now reached to 50% males and 18% females, King Hussein Cancer CenterKing Hussein Cancer Center's Smoking Cessation Clinic, and Pfizer - the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company are cooperating to conduct the necessary studies to identify the reasons that drive people to smoke and look at individual varieties and conditions, in order to find suitable smoking cessation programs for each individual. . . .

About Pfizer Inc: Founded in 1849, Pfizer is the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company taking new approaches to better health.

(c) Press Release 2009

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• Ministry ‘firm on anti-smoking law enforcement’  

The Ministry of Health on Tuesday has banned the import of the “electronic cigarette”, which manufacturers claim is an effective means to help quit smoking.

The ministry cited a “higher percentage of nicotine”, used in the device, following suit of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has previously warned against its use.

In a statement received by The Jordan Times, Health Minister Salah Mawajdeh said the ministry has turned down an application by a local company to import the item.

However, according to the WHO website, there is “no scientific evidence whatsoever that would confirm that the electronic cigarette is a safe and effective smoking cessation device”.

The WHO was “greatly concerned” that some manufacturers had used the WHO name or logo on their packages or websites, falsely implying endorsement.

In a related development, the ministry has sent a circular to the Kingdom’s public institutions, notifying them of the Public Health Law that prohibits smoking in public areas

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• Potential smoking ban in restaurants triggers debate 

Several restaurants in Amman said Thursday a call by the Health Ministry to ban smoking will be difficult to implement.

The ministry has urged restaurants to voluntarily prevent smoking in line with the recently endorsed Public Health Law.

A statement by the ministry this week said the health authorities may, if the move proves futile, declare restaurants as public places, which means they will be subject to the provisions of the Public Health Law.

The legislation has been amended to prohibit smoking in public and private institutions and all public facilities. . . .

The law also stipulates that any person who is caught smoking at a public place is subject to a penalty of imprisonment

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Jordan urges healthy eating during holy month 

The public-service TV ads deliver a cheerful, yet pointed, message to Muslims observing Ramadan's traditional dawn to dusk fast: "Don't overeat" when night comes. "Exercise and stay healthy."

The government media campaign - one of the Arab world's first - aims to combat the serious health problems, from heart attacks to diabetic comas, that often mark Islam's holy month. . . .

Another cartoon tackles smoking - a major health problem in most Arab countries. Half of Jordan's population is believed to smoke, despite a largely ignored ban on smoking in public.

In that cartoon, the same Arab husband and father, Abu-Saleem, tries to help a friend kick the habit after being forced to stop smoking by his own doctor. The friend has stopped smoking during daylight to observe Ramadan, Abu-Saleem notes - so why not stop altogether?

"I can't," the friend answers. "But if I could, Ramadan would be sweet indeed."

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• Health Ministry cracks down on smoking in public places  

The Health MinistryHealth Ministry issued a circular on Wednesday to ministries and public and private institutions prohibiting smoking inside buildings designated as public places, according to the recently endorsed Public Health Law.

Director of health awareness at the ministry, Malek Habashneh, said that under the new law, the ministry has the authority to enforce the law and impose stiffer penalties on violators, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

According to the recently endorsed law, a public place is identified as hospitals, healthcare centres, schools, cinemas, theatres, libraries, museums, public and non-governmental buildings, public transport vehicles, airports, closed playgrounds, lectures halls and any other location to be determined by the minister.

According to the law, any person who is caught smoking at a public place is subject to a penalty of imprisonment ranging from one week to one month or a JD15-JD25 fine. The same penalties apply to those who sell cigarettes to underage youths

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JUST 'anti smoking' march 

President of the Jordan University of Science & Technology (JUST) Dr Wajeeh Owais patronized on campus the “youth anti-smoking” march, with the participation of the University’s staff and students who raised banners reading “Smokefree University”, “Quit Smoking” besides “quit-smoking tips”. The event was sponsored by the Pepsi company.

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International Tobacco & Cigarettes to distribute 50% cash dividends 

- The International Tobacco & Cigarettes Company (ITCC) will distribute its highest cash dividends at a rate of 50 per cent next month based on the decision of shareholders at the 16th general assembly meeting.

“We are readying JD10 million for distribution to shareholders,” an ITCC staff member told the Jordan Times. “Investors can collect their checks after three weeks.”

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