Jump to full article: Arab News (sa), 2008-09-18
Author: P.K. Abdul Ghafour I Arab News
Intro: A new law to combat smoking in public and workplaces has been drafted and is awaiting Cabinet approval. Those smoking in public places will be fined SR200.
Suleiman Al-Sabi, secretary-general of the Charitable Society to Combat Smoking, urged those affected by smokers at work and public places to take legal action against them, demanding compensation.
"Parents should file lawsuits against teachers who smoke in schools as well as against traders who sell cigarettes to their children," he said.
He said the new law, which will be effective a year after its publication in the official gazette, was prepared by the committee of experts at the Council of Ministers. . . .
The law is significant as Saudi Arabia tops the list of tobacco importers, according to 2007 statistics. Iran is placed second, followed by Jordan, Turkey, Morocco and Egypt. He said cigarette smoking has so far caused the death of 3.48 million people worldwide this year, including 13,929 in Saudi Arabia.
He said the charitable society had asked GCC customs officials to raise customs tariff on cigarettes by 200 percent.
"Unfortunately they did not approve that proposal, saying it needed further study," he said. Al-Sabi emphasized the need for strict control on the sales of cigarettes.
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