JEDDAH, 20 April 2004 — Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of smoking in the world despite having hiked customs duty on cigarettes. According to a survey, 15 billion cigarettes are smoked annually by Saudis.
Under the slogan “Family Without Smoking”, Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed inaugurated on Saturday the National Anti-Smoking Campaign which is organized by Al Ayman Charitable Association for Cancer Patients.
Dr. Mohammed Abdu Yamani, chairman of Al-Ayman, noted that the campaign aimed to spread a very important message to students of all ages.
“Through this campaign we are aiming to reach our youth and tell them that smoking is a dangerous habit that could kill them. We realize that there are a large number of young smokers in our society and the number is increasing every year. It is our duty to make them aware of the dangers of smoking, which kills 1.5 million people every year with the number expected to reach 10 million in 2020,” he said.
According to a new survey, six million Saudis out of a population of 22 million, smoke. This number includes men and women. What is particularly alarming is that 20 percent of the Kingdom’s teenagers are smokers.
The survey also noted that 58 percent of the respondents had begun smoking before the age of 18. Shisha accounts for 60 percent of smokers and cigarettes 40 percent.
