RIYADH, 17 December 2003 — An increasing number of Saudi women have begun to smoke. More than 15 billion cigarettes are sold annually in the Kingdom. Tests show that many women find it harder to give up smoking than men; women are also more likely to experience different kinds of cardiovascular complications, heart attacks, breast cancers and miscarriages because of smoking and obesity. Dr. Muhammad Ali Habbab, head of the Department of Adult Cardiology at Prince Sultan Cardiac Center (PSCC), said: “We must educate people in this country about the dangers of smoking.” He pointed out that PSCC had organized a campaign last year during which a number of lectures dealing with the harmful effects of smoking were given in Saudi schools all over the Kingdom. Despite the campaign and increased awareness of the dangers of smoking, the Kingdom still imports more than SR650 million worth of tobacco every year; some 60 brands of cigarettes are currently on sale in the country.
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