Tobacco.org

‘Joint effort needed’ to strengthen tobacco law 

A TOTAL of 52 participants including mall managers, restaurant and hotel managers, health professionals, legal experts, law enforcement agents and government officials recently attended a National Health Authority’s (NHA) workshop on Tobacco Law number 20 of 2002.

Penalties for violating the law include fines of up to QR5,000, closure of establishment which violates the law and jail of up to six months.

The aim of the workshop, which is one of the activities lined up for the commemoration of the ‘World No Tobacco Day’ was to discuss how to improve the implementation of the law among other things.

The theme for the year is ‘Tobacco-Free Youth’.

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Ban on smoking openly flouted 

PEOPLE openly flout the law that bans smoking of tobacco in public or closed areas in Doha, Gulf Times has found. Most of the youngsters frequenting billiards club, Internet cafes and other closed areas have been found smoking cigarettes – in some instances, boys as young as 8 years old. “When the law was introduced in 2002, we actively campaigned against any smoking in public malls or hospitals and that saw the number of smokers coming down, with some even encouraged to the point of quitting. But the numbers are creeping back and going up,” said Dr Abdul Rasheed, president of India Anti-Smoking Campaign. According to him, the initiative lost its vigour a couple of years ago after the NHA was setup in place of the Ministry of Health (MoH).

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NHA launches new anti-smoking campaign  

e National Health Authority (NHA) has launched a public campaign in a renewed bid to effectively implement the anti-smoking law in Qatar.

The health authorities in the country have been facing criticism from concerned circles for their alleged laxity in implementing Law No: 20 of 2002 concerning the control of tobacco and its derivates.

The Authority has now started deploying inspectors with judicial powers to check violations of the law, especially smoking in public places. It has also issued posters and brochures to inform the public about the relevant articles of the law.

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NHA launches new anti-smoking campaign  

The National Health Authority (NHA) has launched a public campaign in a renewed bid to effectively implement the anti-smoking law in Qatar.

The health authorities in the country have been facing criticism from concerned circles for their alleged laxity in implementing Law No: 20 of 2002 concerning the control of tobacco and its derivates.

The Authority has now started deploying inspectors with judicial powers to check violations of the law, especially smoking in public places. It has also issued posters and brochures to inform the public about the relevant articles of the law.

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'Anti-smoking law loses fizz'  

Doha * An expert from the Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Section at HMC has lamented the lack of interest on the part of the authorities in effectively implementing the anti-smoking law in Qatar.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, Dr Omar Al Tamimi, consultant, Cardiology, said it was a pity that several coffee shops in Doha are now allowing their customers to smoke inside despite the fact that the law has banned smoking in public places.

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Employees of cigarette distributors accused of fraud 

FOUR Asian employees of a cigarette distributing company have been accused of selling cartons of cigarettes and pocketing the money from the proceeds amounting to QR209,000, sources said.

The four – three salesmen and a driver – were arrested on August 9. Authorities are investigating the case.

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• 32pc of professionals in Qatar smoke at workplaces  

A survey carried out by recruitment portal GulfTalent.com reveals Middle Eastern countries are among the most smoker-friendly in the world.

DOHA * There's bad news for the votaries of 'Quit Smoking', at least in the case of professionals in the Middle East.

Qatar, which has imposed a blanket ban on smoking in government offices and public places and with many private companies following suit, still has 32 per cent of professionals who smoke in the workplace. Forty-two per cent of private offices are free of smokers, a survey carried out by recruitment portal GulfTalent.com said.

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• Qatar in grip of smoking epidemic, says study 

Over one-third of the adult male population smokes – and with no protection for passive smokers, Qatar is in the grip of a smoking epidemic, according to a study conducted by the 12th Gulf Forum for Tobacco Control and Prevention.

In a country where smoking typically starts at 15 years of age, and with no studies on tobacco prevalence, consumption and related disease, it is almost impossible to gauge the severity of Qatar’s situation accurately, said a press release.

Minstry of Health representatives from Qatar have just returned from attending the seminar held in Saudi Arabia.

With this in mind Dr Ahmed Abdul Kareem al-Mulla, a senior official of the National Anti-Smoking Committee, Qatar, attended the 12th Gulf Forum for Tobacco Control and Prevention.

The Gulf Forum was a milestone in the history of GCC public health and international collaboration.

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• Seesha smoking among women rises alarmingly  

Seesha smoking among women has shown an alarming increase in the country, in spite of warnings from physicians and other experts that it can be equally if not more harmful than smoking cigarettes.

An Arabic daily spoke to a group of women sitting around in a Ramadan tent dragging away on seeshas. Twenty-eight-year-old Amani, said she first took up the seesha when she went out with a group of friends and started to imitate them in order not to feel left out.

Amani said: "I then got used to it and have become a seesha smoker. Before that, I used to smoke cigarettes. I feel a woman has a right to do what she wants and I prefer smoking in front of everyone. It is better to do it in front of people rather tank keep a secret."

S A said her mother was a heavy smoker, constantly with cigarette in hand.

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• Anti-smoking group warns against dangers of seesha 

The Indian Anti Smoking Society(IASS) has expressed serious concerns on the spread of sheesha smoking among men and women in the country. The increasing number of sheesha cafes are pausing serious threat to the health and well-being of society and effective measures to curb this practice is need of the hour, the society officials said.

Friends sitting together, talking and taking their turns of syrupy fruit-flavoured tobacco smoke from bubbling water pipes have once again become a common scene in Qatar, which was the first Arab country to ban smoking in public places.

It is sad to see this evil habit is spreading very fast and especially the number of sheesha smokers are on rise during Ramadhan, the society officials said. Those who partake of the seesha thinking it is a safer option to cigarettes or other tobacco products are simply deluding themselves, Dr Abdul Rasheed, president of the society explained.

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Seesha more harmful than cigarettes  

Those who partake of the seesha thinking it is a safer option to cigarettes or other tobacco products, are simply deluding themselves.

Dr Mohammad Ghaith Al Kuwari, a specialist in Social Medicine at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), told an Arabic daily that these days, even women have hopped onto the sheesha bandwagon.

"People are justifying smoking the sheesha on the grounds it is supposedly less harmful than other forms of tobacco. They claim it is a safe alternative," he said. Non-smokers are also being roped into taking up the sheesha, he said, as they are led to believe that it helps in socialising. . . .

Mohammad Ghaith stated that studies have shown that a bowl of seesha is the equivalent of having 20 cigarettes a day.

With people sitting around and enjoying bowl after bowl, they can end up consuming the equivalent of two to three packs of cigaretess a day.

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• Gulf 'war of the tents' for Ramadan  

Across the entire Gulf, major hotels are using massive luxury tents to attract those breaking their fast at nightfall during the month of Ramadan when they can once again eat and smoke.

The Sheraton in the Qatari capital Doha has this year opted for the open air, putting up a giant Bedouin-style air-conditioned tent looking out over a lagoon.

"We named our tent 'Children of the Medina', after the masterpiece by the Egyptian writer Nagib Mahfuz", the Nobel literature laureate who died last month aged 94, the hotel's Shukri Hussein told AFP. . . .

The cheapest charge for entry to these Ramadan soirees is 75 riyals, or about 20 dollars.

During Ramadan, Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from the rising of the sun to its setting. But when night falls they make up for it. The evening gatherings often last until "suhur", the final meal before fasting resumes at dawn.

Restaurants, hotels, cafes and especially Bedouin tents brim with those paying lip service to the temperance urged during the holy month, when long evenings are often marked by sessions with a shisha water pipe. . . .

It is the same in all the main cities of the Gulf's other monarchies. Whether it be Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Jeddah or Riyadh in Saudi Arabia or in Kuwait, restaurant owners and hoteliers compete to outdo each other in their efforts to attract as many Ramadan patrons as possible.

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Soccer-Swiss coach banned for smoking on bench in Qatar  

Swiss coach Michel Decastel has been handed a one-match ban by the Qatar Football Association for smoking on the bench during a match, Arab press reports said.

He had been sent off for the offence during the match between his club Al Ahli and Al Saad last Friday.

Decastel, who took over at the Qatari club in July, was also fined.

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Qatar University, HMC to carry out research on smoking  

Two out of three male students in local schools have tried smoking and one in three has picked it up as a habit.

The 2001 statistics have driven Qatar University (QU) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) to jointly carry out further research on smoking and create awareness of its harmful effects among teenagers.

Starting September 16 and scheduled to last for a year, the research will be carried out by the microbiology section of QU's science faculty to study the effect of nicotine on male and female rats.

Students will also be helping the core research team in gathering the results. Findings are expected on various smoking-related diseases as well as impact on fertility.

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• Call for strict implementation of smoking ban in public places  

Despite a standing order imposing ban on smoking in public places, the menace is going unhindered, reported Al Sharq.

Participating in a survey conducted by the daily, almost 80 per cent of the people urged the authorities to strictly implement the law and bring the law-breakers to book. A section of them suggested creating an exclusive Ã'Â'smoking zone' in offices and public places, to contain the hazard, it reports.

"Smoking in public places has become a real menace. I wonder why people are dared to continue the practice despite a standing order against it. Strict action should be initiated against the law-breakers", said Rashid El Eid.

Government offices are supposed to strictly follow the order, issued by the Preventive Health Department of National Health Authority.

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