Reference to the report “Underage tobacco bank going up in smoke?,” it was sad to note annual consumption of 15 billion cigarettes in Saudi Arabia. It is a huge figure and all efforts be made to drastically reduce the consumption at all levels.
The directives banning the sale of tobacco products to minors or persons below the age of 18 must be implemented strictly and no excuse be accepted. The penalty of SR 500 for any violation in this respect is a meager amount and needs to be revised. Besides, repeated violations must be dealt with very stringently and that should include revocation of the trading license. One of the measures in that direction could be banning the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products at small stores as they are usually manned by a single person who may not be qualified to properly read and determine the age of the buyer. Further, it is a common practice for the supermarkets to display cigarettes on the shelves near the points of sale. It is now banned in many Western countries including the United Kingdom as it was established that children get more attracted to such in store marketing. Besides, the smokers who are trying to curtail or quit smoking too get lured to such display and end up in buying the stuff. Australia has recently implemented the directive of all cigarettes to be packed in plain and unattractive cartons where the risks of smoking is expressed in bold and graphic manner.
Research has generated evidence that second hand smoking or passive smoking can cause the same problem as active smoking. Although, there is a good progress in banning smoking from public places such as airports, planes, trains, buses; still one finds people smoking freely in the parks, gardens, hotels, cafes and offices. — Safi H. Jannaty, Dammam
Risks of smoking
