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AUDIO: Anti-smoking activists push for comprehensive ban 

Health and university officials on Thursday reiterated the need for comprehensive tobacco control legislation as parliamentarians continue to debate a draft law. Rather than adopt "half measures," Parliament must enact a total ban on smoking in indoor public places, halt advertising and sponsorship by the tobacco industry, and issue large graphic health warnings on tobacco products, said members of the American University of Beirut's Tobacco Control Research Group (AUB-TCRG).

The Parliamentary Committee for Administration and Justice has held regular meetings in recent weeks to discuss adopting a proposed tobacco control law. But the draft "is not as comprehensive as we'd want," said AUB-TCRG coordinator Rima Nakkash, as it only calls for a partial ban on smoking and fails to stipulate the need for graphic warnings or a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship.

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