Smoking Association in Makkah will compel tobacco companies to put real photos of the sufferings of the people resulting from smoking on cigarette packs. This important step is a new way to educate various segments of smokers and helping them to leave this bad habit. The association has written letters to Minister of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Health urging them to make it mandatory on tobacco companies to put the pictures on cigarette cans, Abdullah Souroji, Executive Director of Anti-Smoking Association, said. Souroji said the Kingdom must implement the system, especially after its application in Egypt. This method is successful and a more effective way to help smokers kick the habit, he said. “There are a lot of pictures that can be put on cigarette packets such as pictures of a patient lying in intensive care due to tobacco use, or image of a child and the mouth mask reflecting the suffering of children from passive smoking,” Souroji added. The Global Convention on Tobacco Control stressed the importance of increasing the area warning on cigarette packages to up to 50 percent of the volume of packaging to add an expressive photo. “These images will help smokers realize the dangers of smoking. We appeal to officials at the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Trade to adopt this effective and accelerated method that will give effective results,” he added. __
