Tobacco.org

• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• Anti-smoking campaign targets young grooms 

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- 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. . . .

Since June 20, banners have gone up on overpasses and bridges over the Saudi capital's major highways, depicting the campaign slogan in pink and reddish brown. Next to it are the faceless outlines of a bride, dressed in white and carrying a bouquet of flowers, and of a man wearing a black, ceremonial cloak over his white thobe, the traditional robe Saudi men wear.

The quit-smoking-drive is also being advertised in malls, at universities and in magazines.

The organizer, a local charity called Purity, stipulates that the marriage is the man's first and that he has a recent marriage contract. In Islam, the contract is usually signed before a couple moves in together.

A draw on Aug. 6 will include the names of the men who successfully quit smoking in a weeklong course. The winner will have all wedding expenses paid while 20 runners-up will get free furniture.

Sulaiman al-Soby, secretary general of Purity, said the aim is to create a smoke-free family. One-third of Saudi school children live in homes with smokers, according to a 2007 health survey.

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• Cancer patient sues tobacco firms 

A Saudi citizen has filed a lawsuit against two tobacco companies asking for $10 million (SR37.5 million) in compensation for the health damages he suffered from smoking.

This is the second lawsuit from the Kingdom and considered the first personal case against tobacco companies in the Middle East, said Abdullah Seruji, executive director of the Smoking and Drugs Awareness Association.

He said a court in Jeddah has accepted the lawsuit from Abu Abdullah, a businessman.

The victim had throat cancer and went though a major surgery in King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. . . .

Seruji noted that Saudi citizens are no less important than American or European citizens where they file lawsuits against tobacco companies and win huge financial compensations.

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• Hookah smoking just as bad for teeth as cigarettes 

Water pipes (hookah) might be a safer way to smoke, but they are as damaging to the teeth and gums as the cigarettes. . . .

However, water pipe smoke contains the same toxins as cigarette smoke. Previous studies have suggested that hookah smoking increases heart rate and blood pressure and impairs lung function.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm studied 262 adults in Saudi Arabia, where hookah smoking is widespread, to find out if hookahs are as tough on the teeth as cigarettes. . . .

The researchers found that about 20 percent of all study participants had signs of gum disease, which is marked by inflammation and redness in the gums in its earlier stages and later, destruction of the bones and soft tissue supporting the teeth, possibly leading to tooth loss. But while only eight percent of non-smokers had gum disease, 30 percent of water pipe smokers and 24 percent of cigarette smokers were affected.

When researchers weighed other factors, such as study participants' ages, they found that water pipe smokers were five times more likely to show signs of gum disease than non-smokers. Cigarette smokers had a nearly four-times greater risk than non-smokers.

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• Number of smokers surges in Saudi Arabia 

The number of smokers in Saudi Arabia has increased to six million, including 600,000 women, said Naif Al-Saeed, director of the Charitable Society to Combat Smoking in Al-Ahsa province.

He said 45 percent of women smokers in the Kingdom are in the Eastern Province. There are also 772,000 teenage smokers, including intermediate and secondary school students, he added.

Meanwhile, Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed will launch an anti-smoking campaign to enlighten the public on the negative effects of smoking. . . .

Saudi Arabia is the fourth largest importer of cigarettes in the world. Thousands of workers die annually as a result of inhaling the smoke of fellow smokers during working hours.

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• Smoking responsible for one in 10 adult deaths 

Hospitals and doctors have intensified the Kingdom’s anti-smoking campaign, which has already become widespread with smoking restrictions in many public places.

“Strangely, despite the campaign against smoking, the habit seems to be growing,” said Dr. Ashraf A. Amir, chief medical officer at the International Medical Center.

Smoking is bad for health and the environment, but it continues to grow among men and women with tobacco manufacturers reporting gains in their annual financial results, said Dr. Amir.

Dr. Amir also warned of the serious health problems that smoking could cause in the long run and advised smokers to kick the habit “before it is too late.”

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a presentation on “Smoking: Dependence, Mechanisms and Cessation” by Dr. Karl Fagerstrom of the Smokers Information Center, Sweden.

Over 120 doctors from public and private health care centers and hospitals attended the lecture, which was organized by Pfizer Inc. to elevate the level of public awareness on deadly and hazardous habits such as smoking.

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• Bahrain takes anti-smoking message to causeway  

The Bahraini Ministry of Health has distributed over 100,000 brochures at the King Fahd Causeway detailing the harmful effects of smoking and places on the island where smoking is prohibited.

"We have seen a great response through our campaign at the causeway. Smoking has been prohibited in Bahraini malls and we now plan to extend the ban to restaurants," said Dr. Mariam Al-Jalahma, assistant undersecretary of public health and primary care at the Ministry of Health.

Al-Jalahma said that according to new regulations, restaurants are required to have smoking and no smoking areas, including separate areas for children. Under the current practice, anti-smoking brochures in Arabic and English are distributed at the King Fahd Causeway's toll counter among those entering Bahrain.

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