JEDDAH, 2 December 2003 — The chief of Saudi Arabia’s anti-smoking program has urged the government to declare a war against the “catastrophic” growth of smoking in the Kingdom.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Baddah, the program’s supervisor, said while Saudi Arabia spends more than SR1.8 billion on tobacco imports and sales, it has yet to take significant measures to fight smoking, which is growing at a rate of 50 percent among men and 10 percent among women.
He urged Saudis to bring lawsuits against businesses that sell cigarettes and encourage smoking. Legal action against tobacco companies in advanced countries had produced positive results, he said.
Al-Baddah’s statement comes after the Council of Ministers endorsed proposals to punish smoking in public places.
“We are facing a national catastrophe because we burn SR5 million daily through smoking. In addition, we spend a huge amount on treatment of diseases caused by smoking,” Al-Madinah Arabic daily quoted him as saying.
Al-Baddah painted a bleak picture of the country’s future if the habit continues to grow. “Let me tell you frankly that the country is facing an epidemic and everybody must understand that. We must set out scientific programs to put an end to it,” he said.
He called for new centers equipped with advanced medical facilities to help people quit smoking and said the service should be provided free or at reasonable prices.
He said it was difficult to give an exact figure of smokers in the Kingdom. “Many people do not want to say they are smokers because they are embarrassed. Others refuse to give answers to surveys. So we cannot estimate the exact number,” he said.
Al-Baddah highlighted the Health Ministry’s efforts to eradicate smoking among the country’s five million students, adding there was another program targeting the elderly.
Al-Baddah said considering the dangerous effects on health, society and economy, the authorities should make the fight against smoking a national issue on a par with the fight against drugs.
