The Riyadh municipality has started a campaign to notify retail outlets of a new fine of SR500 for selling cigarettes to minors. The fine is imposed according to a directive by the minister of municipal and rural affairs following recommendations from the minister of health. Sueiman Al-Bathi, director general of environmental health at the municipality, said the decision has already been enforced and any shop caught selling cigarettes to minors under 18 years will have to pay a fine of SR500. He said the decision is aimed at protecting minors from developing the unhealthy habit and to raise general awareness about the hazards of smoking. The move will indirectly support the national economy by cutting down the cost of treating smoking-related illnesses. Many families interviewed for this report welcomed the move. Mutea Muhammad Abdul Rahman, a father of three who spoke to Saudi Gazette at a local shop, said the decision should have been enforced a long time ago and the fine should have been SR2000 instead of SR500. “In the United States, the government is very tough when it comes to enforcing rules against selling cigarettes to minors. Shops in the US ask the age of young customers before they sell them cigarettes,” Abdul Rahman said, adding that the belated decision is nevertheless in the right direction. Ahmad Hosni, an Egyptian, said the decision is positive and would help protect minors from the dangerous habit. He, however, questioned the mechanism of implementing the punishment. “How are they going to monitor who is selling cigarettes to minors?” asked Hosni. He said, “Is it possible to install a camera at each sales outlet to capture those who sell cigarettes to minors? It is preposterous. However, people can cooperate with the authorities by reporting non-compliance by retailers. Shopkeepers should be more responsible and stop selling cigarettes to minors.” He added that the decision should be implemented all over the Kingdom. Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, another shopper, said supervision should come from families first. “Some parents send their kids to stores to buy cigarettes for them. At the end of the day, shopkeepers care only about selling their ware and making some profit. If parents don't care about their children, why should they?” asked Al-Ghamdi. Othman Hasan, a Sudanese employee at a sales outlet, said only a small number of minors come to his shop asking for cigarettes. “Usually I do not sell to them but quite often they are sent by their parents. I have seen fathers sitting in cars sending children to stores to buy cigarettes.” Abdul Quddos, an Indian working in a grocery shop, said the authorities should impose fines not only on shops but also on parents who allow their children to buy cigarettes. “If a father is sending his child to buy cigarettes for him, then the father should be fined SR1000. Underage buyers should be questioned when they buy cigarettes. When they are questioned and their parents notified, they will stop this bad habit,” said Quddos. __
