Smoking Awareness Society (Kafa) has appealed to the Ministry of Trade to force tobacco producers to put images of persons suffering from cancer and other tobacco-related illnesses on their cigarette packaging in the Kingdom. According to Abdullah Sarouji, the executive head of Kafa, the society wants at least 50 percent of the packaging to be dedicated to graphically discouraging images. “Lots of European and Arab countries already put these images on packets and those that have have seen a tangible fall in the number of smokers,” Sarouji said. “Using images to promote awareness is one of the most successful ways to get the message across concerning the dangers of smoking.” Sarouji expressed his disappointment that the Ministry of Trade had not yet brought in similar regulations governing the tobacco industry. “While almost every day food and drink and cosmetic products are withdrawn from the market because they are found to contain cancer-provoking substances, cigarettes are still readily available despite being shown by health organizations to be the principle cause of lung cancer, throat cancer, heart disease and hardening of the arteries,” he said. This is not the first time that non-profit group Kafa has made an appeal to follow in the footsteps of other nations in clamping down on smoking. Saudi Gazette reported in September 2009 Sarouji as saying that the Kingdom needs to “follow the rest of the world and print warning images on cigarette packets if it is to take the fight against tobacco seriously”. “The GCC ministers of health approved the move but nothing has been done since,” Sarouji said. “The photos have greatly helped in smokers cutting down their intake and giving up the habit completely. They also deter many people from taking up the habit,” he said. “They are used in 25 countries including Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti and Iran.” Sarouji said at the time that a study in one country showed that 75 percent of people supported the use of the images and that 55 percent had undergone a change of opinion on smoking due to the photographs. The renewed calls for action came ahead of the launch on Monday of the fifth year of the National Campaign for Awareness of the Dangers of Smoking. The campaign this year is being conducted under the headline “For National Development and Physical Health”, and involves a range of events and awareness drives across the Kingdom.
