SYRIA: Tough new law against killer tobacco
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The anti-smoking law covers cigarettes and
cigars, as well as traditional ‘shisha’
water pipes (file photo) |
DAMASCUS, 3 December 2009 (IRIN) - A much tougher
anti-smoking law in Syria, signed by President
Bashar al-Assad and due to come into force in early
2010, will outlaw smoking in public places,
including restaurants and bars, hospitals, sports
halls and cinemas.
The law covers cigarettes and cigars, as well as
traditional ‘shisha’ water pipes.
“The ban is timely,” said Mahmoud Etah, a Syrian
doctor. “Smoking, especially of water pipes, has
become more prevalent among young people and we are
yet to see the full health effects.”
According to the Syrian Society for Countering
Cancer, 60 percent of adult men and 23 percent of
women smoke; 98 percent of people are said to be
affected by passive smoking.
The more serious health effects which the measures
hope to reduce include lung and mouth cancer, as
well as respiratory diseases. The levels of these
diseases are not documented in the country, but
doctors report an increase in the number of people
exhibiting symptoms associated with them.
It is for this reason that the ban has been
introduced now, said Bassam Abu al-Dahab, former
head of the National Programme to Combat Smoking.
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not have
any statistics on Syria, but in Egypt it attributes
90 percent of lung cancer deaths to tobacco use.
Globally, tobacco-related cancers as a percentage of
all cancers are on the rise.
Current trends show that by the year 2020 or 2030,
tobacco is likely to be the world’s leading cause of
death and disability, killing more than 10 million
people annually (70 percent of these deaths
occurring in developing countries) and claiming more
lives than HIV, tuberculosis, maternal mortality,
motor vehicle accidents, suicide, and homicide
combined. There are about 1.1 billion smokers in the
world - about one-third of the global population
aged I5 and over, according to
WHO.
The Syrian government has already passed several
laws regulating the tobacco industry and smoking. A
1996 decree banned tobacco advertising and in 2006
Syria banned smoking in government offices and
public transport. The new law envisages a 2,000 SYP
(US$44) fine on those who break it.
“Smoking awareness days”
Governmental and voluntary initiatives to raise
awareness of the health risks of smoking have
increased this year, say activists. “Smoking
awareness days” have been held at private
educational institutes such as Kalamoon University
near Damascus, which has also introduced a ban on
smoking in the university campus.
However, the effectiveness of the tougher legal
framework is in doubt. Whilst people do not smoke in
buses, it is common to see the current laws against
smoking flouted in taxis and some government
offices, and fines are rarely imposed, they say.
The stricter law will be even harder to enforce, say
Syrian restaurant and bar owners, who have expressed
dismay at the ban. Ahmad Kozoroch, the owner of
Rawda, a famous coffee shop close to the Syrian
parliament, said he would resist the ban in his
establishment, pointing to the fact that most of his
profit comes from water pipes.
“The law will hurt my business,” said Kozoroch. “I
am not sure people will stop smoking. Instead they
are likely to pay bribes to official inspectors to
avoid the fines.”
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