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Tobacco in Saudi Arabia to 2013 

This databook provides key data and information on the tobacco market in Saudi Arabia. This report is a comprehensive resource for market, category and segment level data including value, volume, distribution share and company & brand share. This report also provides expenditure and consumption data for the historic and forecast periods.

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• Govt strives to make Haj tobacco free 

The Ministry of Health has launched a campaign among pilgrims to make Makkah and Madinah completely tobacco free during this year’s Haj season.

“Under the ministry’s Tobacco Control Program (TCP), we have printed around 1.5 million leaflets in different languages for distribution among pilgrims — both smokers and nonsmokers,” said Majed Al-Munif, TCP’s supervisor-general.

He added that the brochures are available in languages such as Arabic, English, French, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Indonesian and Swahili.

“We require the cooperation of pilgrims to make the two holy cities among those with the lowest tobacco consumption in the world,” he said, adding that the area within five-kilometers of the Holy Haram in Makkah and Madinah is tobacco-free with the sale of tobacco strictly banned.

Billboards and posters with anti-smoking messages, information regarding anti-smoking clinics and fatwas on the subject are on display in the two cities.

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KSU bans smoking on campus 

Smokers lighting up a cigarette on the King Saud University (KSU) main campus in Riyadh may end up puffing away a fine of SR500. The cash penalty has come as part of the smoke-free university campaign the university launched on Sunday. The new law prohibits smoking on campus at any time, applying to all university students and staff. Smokers found polluting the campus for the first time will be warned in writing and referred to the Anti-smoking Clinic if willing to quit the habit.

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• Smoking seen to cause malnutrition in children 

Much is written about smoking being unhealthy and harmful, but it is also a highly expensive habit. Spending on tobacco drives out critical expenditures that cover basic needs. This is most significant in low-income families, affecting the smoker and his or her family.

According to a report that was recently published in the International Resource Center, a study conducted in Indonesia found that children living with a smoker are more malnourished than those children that live with non-smokers. Malnutrition amongst children remains one of the world’s leading public health challenges and is associated directly or indirectly with more than 50 percent of the 11 million estimated preventable child deaths, annually.

According to Dr. Zuhdi Al-Imam, a consultant in Pediatric pulmonary medicine, smoking increases the chance of children getting chronic pulmonary diseases such as asthma. Moreover, it worsens the symptoms of an existing pulmonary disease, and worryingly, affects younger children more than older ones. . . .

It is increasingly evident that secondhand smoke exposure poses a significant health risk to children and this also suggests that there is really, no safe level of exposure.”

The Kingdom is a member of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and according to a report recently published in Saudi Gazette, new anti-smoking laws are being set in place to ban smoking in public places and will include fines of up to 200 Saudi riyals.

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• Anti-smoking regulations fail to see the light of day 

New anti-smoking regulations that were approved by the Cabinet in August 2003 have not yet been implemented and there is no date fixed to do so, said Dr. Majid Al-Munif, head of the Anti-Smoking Program at the Ministry of Health.

"The regulations are yet to be studied and no specified time has been fixed to implement them," said Al-Munif. He added that specialists from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Rural Affairs are studying the new rules. "Officials from all government bodies are eager that the system gets implemented as soon as possible," he said, adding that other Middle East countries such as Syria, Iran and Jordan have already implemented similar systems banning smoking in public.

Asked whether the delay was due to objections, he said, "The delay and corrections to the rules do not necessarily mean that there are objections. Correcting the rules is unimportant; implementing is more important."

Sulaiman Al-Sabbi, secretary-general of the Anti-Smoking Society in Riyadh, blamed government departments on the delay of the set of rules, which he described as important since they also ban minors from buying cigarettes.

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• GCC will not increase tariffs on cigarettes 

At a time when anti-smoking campaigners are calling for an increase in cigarette duty to discourage smokers, a source at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said there would be no increase in cigarette tariffs.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the GCC is committed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and that this commitment does not allow GCC countries to increase cigarette duty by over 100 percent, which is already implemented. “In order to increase it, we have to be involved in negotiation with more than 120 member countries of the WTO,” he said.

He added that a meeting of GCC ministries of finance, custom and health is to be held next month to discuss the issue.

Newspapers in the Kingdom recently reported a SR1 increase on packets of cigarette, an increase of 20 percent. Asa’ad Jawhar, an analyst, said the slight increase would not stop smokers from buying cigarettes.

“The price is not high enough to discourage smokers from buying cigarettes. If we compare the prices of cigarettes in the Kingdom with European countries and the United States, we will find that our prices are 50 percent cheaper than the price in EU countries and the US. In Italy, for example, the price of a pack of cigarettes is the equivalent of SR23,” he said.

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• Hail envisages tobacco ban; airport complaints renewed 

The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs in Hail is considering banning the sale of tobacco products at food stores in residential areas of the city as part of plans to discourage young people from smoking.

The Chairman of the Municipal Council in Hail, Turki Al-Dhab’an, said the considerations come in the light of recommendations from a study proposing the designation of specific outlets and licenses for the sale of tobacco.

The move, which could be finalized at the council’s meeting before being referred to Prince Mit’eb Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, and his Deputy Prince Mansour Bin Mit’eb Bin Abdul Aziz, would see strict regulations put in place on shopkeepers.

“Shops in breach of the regulations could be shut down by the Environmental Health Department and given large fines,” Al-Dhab’an said. . . .

Calls have been renewed, meanwhile, to enforce the smoking ban at the Kingdom’s airports, with pilgrims and doctors lamenting the failure to see laws that go back as far as 1973 in place on the ground.

Pilgrim Muhammed Al-Jahdli described the sight of tobacco advertising in public places as “annoying”.

“It’s particularly irritating for pilgrims who come from all over the world and the first thing they see when they come out of the airport is these adverts everywhere,” Al-Jahdali said.

“They have banned cigarettes in Makkah and the vicinity so they should also ban them in airports which receive millions of pilgrims,” he said.

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Saudi plans cigarette sale ban in Hail food stores  

Food stores in the northern Saudi city of Hail could be banned from selling cigarettes in a bid to prevent children from smoking, it has been reported.

The plans, which come about after residents’ complaints of children smoking and the results of a recent study, are being finalised, reported the Saudi Gazette.

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AL-SULAIMAN: Smoke, no one cares 

The only time when it is guaranteed that you will not find anyone smoking in our airports is during Ramadan daylight hours.

This is the only time that the “No Smoking” sign is respected. If it isn’t Ramadan, the airport is full of cigarette smoke. . . .

no one knows who is responsible for enforcing the smoking ban or who to complain when someone is smoking in these areas. To add fuel to fire, the airport employees, immigration officers and others are seen smoking in the terminals. The only airport workers not smoking are the cleaners.

When someone suggested that the government should ban smoking in public places, I just laughed.

When airports, where tight security should be implemented, fail to enforce the ban on smoking then how would the government ban it in public places?

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• Stringent anti-smoking measures needed 

Convincing teenagers to stop smoking is a tough issue for both parents and authorities at their educational institutions. Most of the teens who smoke don't show the habit while in educational institutions or at home; a majority of them smoke in public places where there are no restrictions.

"I have a right to smoke in public places, as do non-smokers to be in those public places," said Khalid Ahmed, a 23-year-old student from India.

"I took up smoking when I was 15. Since I could not smoke at home for fear of getting caught and there is no such places where we can smoke freely near my residence, like the Smokers Area at airports, I have to stick to smoking in public places," said 17-year-old Rizwanur Rahim also from India.

The setting up of smoking zones in public places has also sort of legalized smoking, a situation teenage smokers have taken advantage of, according to 19-year-old Tanweer Chowdhury from Bangladesh.

Smoking places are now located in shopping complexes, restaurants, hospitals and other public places. . . .

Saudi Arabia ranks fourth in the world in tobacco imports and consumption. More than 15 billion cigarettes, worth $168 million, are being smoked by Saudis and expatriates every year, according to figures of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Health Ministers Council.

The Saudi Ministry of Health said that there are currently 35 anti-smoking clinics in the Kingdom

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• Stringent anti-smoking measures needed 

Convincing teenagers to stop smoking is a tough issue for both parents and authorities at their educational institutions. Most of the teens who smoke don’t show the habit while in educational institutions or at home; a majority of them smoke in public places where there are no restrictions.

“I have a right to smoke in public places, as do non-smokers to be in those public places,” said Khalid Ahmed, a 23-year-old student from India.

“I took up smoking when I was 15. Since I could not smoke at home for fear of getting caught and there is no such places where we can smoke freely near my residence, like the Smokers Area at airports, I have to stick to smoking in public places,” said 17-year-old Rizwanur Rahim also from India.

The setting up of smoking zones in public places has also sort of legalized smoking, a situation teenage smokers have taken advantage of, according to 19-year-old Tanweer Chowdhury from Bangladesh. Smoking places are now located in shopping complexes, restaurants, hospitals and other public places.

“Smoking has been legalized ever since, and it is quite impossible to make people give up smoking because of the presence of these zones,” he said. . . .

Even in Saudi schools, authorities are unable to stop students from smoking despite round-year anti-smoking campaign. According to a Saudi Ministry of Health survey, 62 percent of Saudis begin smoking between the ages of 10 and 20; 27 percent between the ages of 20 and 30 and nine percent before the age of 10.

While the debate rages on the topics of quitting smoking, smoking in public places, and smoking in legalized zones, the import of tobacco and cigarettes continues to rise in the Kingdom.

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Holy month best time to quit smoking 

The fasting month of Ramadan offers the perfect chance to quit smoking, according to a consultant at a major hospital.

“Break your fast but not your will to quit smoking,” said Dr. Ashraf Ameer, chief medical officer and family medicine consultant at the International Medical Center. “Ramadan can be a hard time for smokers because of the withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine addiction. Quitting smoking, however, is the best thing a person can do to improve their health and Ramadan offers a great opportunity for smokers to finally kick the habit,” he said.

There are a variety of treatment options available for smokers to help them quit smoking. “I encourage smokers to talk to their doctors even before Ramadan begins to learn about what might work for them.”

Tobacco harms nearly every organ in the body and is the cause of a wide variety of diseases, many of which are fatal including heart attacks, cancer, respiratory diseases, and strokes.

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• Ban on drugs to help quit smoking 

The Ministry of Health has banned two popular smoking cessation drugs as their side-effects include suicidal tendencies.

The drugs containing varenicline (trade name Champix from Pfizer) and buproprion (Yaba)) were banned after the US Food and Drugs Adminstration (FDA) issued a black box warning – the toughest warning on risks associated with a medicine — on serious mental health risks of the drugs.

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• Saudi Arabia to curb 'e-cigarettes'  

The ministries of trade and industry and health as well as various authorities concerned in Saudi Arabia are studying ways to curb the entry of banned electronic cigarette devices, also known as "e-cigarettes", into the kingdom.

The move comes after the issuance of a warning on the use of these devices by the US Food and Drug Administration, . . .

Advertisers and marketers of the device have been falsely claiming that it is a successful method to quit smoking, and have sometimes used the World Health Organisation's logo on the devices' packs.

Saudi Arabia is one of the leading countries that have banned the sale of "e-cigarettes" because of the harm the devices cause.

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Saudi anti-smoking campaign targets young grooms 

The catchy slogan, "Kicking the habit is on you, and marriage is on us," is meant to entice young grooms to give up smoking by offering an attractive incentive.

And, indeed, hundreds have expressed interest in the first anti-smoking drive of its kind in the kingdom, with one man saying he is ready to take up smoking just to be eligible for the grand prize — an all-expenses-paid wedding.

In much of the Arab world, the groom alone bears the cost of getting married, including an expensive party, a dowry and a fully furnished house. Men often put off marriage until they've saved enough money to take a bride.

Several commentators have complained that the campaign is turning women into a commodity, but organizers have taken the criticism in stride, saying they're thrilled to get people talking about the dangers of smoking. About one quarter of Saudi Arabia's 27.6 million residents indulge. . . .

Another commentator, Suzan al-Mashhady, noted that Arabs have criticized the West for using women to promote merchandise. "Today, we're using ... the same two-in-one method adopted by a hair product that promises to clean the hair and condition it at the same time," she wrote in the Al-Hayat newspaper.

Al-Majdali said many have misunderstood the slogan.

"Did we say we're offering a woman?" he said.

"In any case, the fact that people are discussing the campaign means we have fulfilled our goal of spreading the word about it," he added.

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