Laura Bashraheel Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia has banned smoking in government offices and most public places, including restaurants, coffee shops, supermarkets and shopping malls. The ban includes smoking of water-pipes, or shishas, and prohibits selling tobacco to those under the age of 18. Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, has ordered that the ban on smoking be implemented as of Monday. He is cited as saying that Islam urges the preservation of public health. Saudi Arabia banned smoking in its airports last year. Earlier this month, Al-Khobar municipality started a campaign to ban smoking inside restaurants. Restaurants that allow customers to smoke face a SR2,000 fine. A municipality spokesman said the ban is being applied for the first time in the region and is aimed at protecting public health. There were proposals also to raise the price of cigarettes to SR9 per pack to curb smoking in the Kingdom. But others said the increase will only provide financial gain to tobacco importing companies. Health experts urge the government to follow other countries that impose taxes on cigarette sales, and use these taxes to fund widespread anti-smoking campaigns. At a meeting held this year in Saudi Arabia, health ministers from Gulf Cooperation Council countries proposed a 50 percent tax on cigarettes to control consumption and they presented it to finance ministers for approval. No date for implementation or decision was announced. The Minister of Health and Director of the National Committee for Tobacco Control, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah, led the third meeting of the National Committee for Tobacco Control. The key recommendations agreed upon in the meeting were to make a request to the Cabinet for issuing a blanket ban on smoking in public areas. Saudi statistics say the country is the world's fourth largest importer of tobacco and that six million Saudis spend about SR30 million a day on cigarettes. However, the smoking ban did not come as good news for some Saudis who believe that it is their basic right to be allowed to smoke wherever they want. “I don't see any harm in smoking in public places, especially restaurants as they already have a non-smoking section for those who don't smoke,” said Abdullah Khamees, a 31-year-old employee. Khamees also said that he doesn't mind the ban in places such as shopping malls and supermarkets, but in restaurants and coffee shops “smoking is important”. “It could be a positive step for the upcoming generation to start accepting rules and to have a healthier lifestyle like in Europe. When we travel to Europe, we accept their laws, but honestly it's annoying to keep going out in the street for a cigarette,” he added. Kamal Al-Nuaimi, a 32-year-old worker from Dammam, has always been against the ban on smoking. “Frankly, I've never been to Europe but I hear from friends that smoking is prohibited in public places so that is a major flaw for me,” he said. Reema Ibraheemi, a 34-year-old mother of two, said that if they ban Shisha and cigarettes in restaurants, she would rather stay home and smoke with her friends. Ibraheemi, however, believes it's a good step for the younger generation not to smoke and to respect others. “When I go to cafes I see girls who are 16 years old smoking shisha with their friends. The ban could help set an age limit for smoking and produce a healthier future generation,” she said.
