An Indonesian man has been given compensation after a cigarette he was smoking exploded taking out six of his teeth.
The 31-year-old man says the http://www.cigarettespub.net/marlboro/gold-edge blew up in his mouth while he was riding a motorcycle.
The man received a payment of a little more than $500 and all his medical costs are being covered by the makers of the cigarettes he was smoking.
Police are investigating the incident and the man says he plans on quitting smoking.
The cigarette company says they have no plans to recall and said it was the first time this has happened and called it a "weird case."
четверг, 4 февраля 2010 г.
среда, 3 февраля 2010 г.
Spending a Week With an Electric Cigarette
The great Mark Twain once wrote, “Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.” It’s the perfect summation of the eternal struggle between a smoker and his cigarette, at once a loyal friend and two-faced bastard. But an even greater struggle that smokers face is against themselves. Do they smoke because they can’t not, or because they don’t feel like stopping? Anti-smoking products—nicotine gum, patches, nasal spray—are known as Nicotine Replacement Therapy, and have had varying degrees of success. They’re designed to quench your body’s thirst for nicotine, but what they can’t replicate is the pleasure of heading out for a smoke break with your coworkers, or sparking up after a stressful job interview. The physicality of smoking—the holding of the cigarette, the puffing in and blowing out of smoke—is half of the appeal. This means that the most effective form of NRT would be a device that could satisfy a smoker’s nic-fits, while still allowing him to look as debonair as Humphrey Bogart circa 1946. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the e-cigarette.
Several weeks ago one of our interns was puffing away at what looked like a cigarette right here in the office. When he took a haul, the cherry glowed. When he exhaled, a plume of scentless smoke whisped out. He told us it was an electronic cigarette, and what he was blowing out was “nicotine vapors.” Like a child seeing their first Yo Gabba Gabba! episode, we were transfixed. Did this device—that looked and behaved just like a cigarette—feel like one too? Was this the smoking gun (pun intended) that self-hating smokers were looking for? What if you could quit smoking without really quitting smoking? We had to get our stained-yellow hands on one and find out for ourselves. So that’s exactly what we did
After the e-cigarette’s manufacturer—Green Smoke—agreed to send us a $139 Starter Kit, we did a little research and found out that these cyborg smokes weren’t exactly new to the market. The Times explored their yays (zero carcinogens! You can smoke in bars!) and nays (It’s the stuff they use in smoke machines!) back in June of last year. While The Wall Street Journal wrote on the controversy surrounding them (the FDA has yet to approve). The articles both featured testaments from heavy smokers who, thanks to their e-cigarettes, were able to cut smoking out of their lives significantly, if not totally. Leave it to federal rulers and regulators to leave a dark cloud of smoke (pun intended again) over what should be a very positive thing. Detractors claim the different cartridge flavors—chocolate, strawberry, apple—make them attractive to kids. Also, although you’re mostly inhaling a vaporized version of nicotine and water, the concoction includes something called Propylene glycol, a compound used in deodorant, hand sanitizers, and anti-freeze. The jury is still out on whether this is a viable alternative to quitting, or a less but still sketchy quick fix. For the last two weeks, there was not an hour I spent without my e-cigarette, and the experience kind of freaked me out.
Several weeks ago one of our interns was puffing away at what looked like a cigarette right here in the office. When he took a haul, the cherry glowed. When he exhaled, a plume of scentless smoke whisped out. He told us it was an electronic cigarette, and what he was blowing out was “nicotine vapors.” Like a child seeing their first Yo Gabba Gabba! episode, we were transfixed. Did this device—that looked and behaved just like a cigarette—feel like one too? Was this the smoking gun (pun intended) that self-hating smokers were looking for? What if you could quit smoking without really quitting smoking? We had to get our stained-yellow hands on one and find out for ourselves. So that’s exactly what we did
After the e-cigarette’s manufacturer—Green Smoke—agreed to send us a $139 Starter Kit, we did a little research and found out that these cyborg smokes weren’t exactly new to the market. The Times explored their yays (zero carcinogens! You can smoke in bars!) and nays (It’s the stuff they use in smoke machines!) back in June of last year. While The Wall Street Journal wrote on the controversy surrounding them (the FDA has yet to approve). The articles both featured testaments from heavy smokers who, thanks to their e-cigarettes, were able to cut smoking out of their lives significantly, if not totally. Leave it to federal rulers and regulators to leave a dark cloud of smoke (pun intended again) over what should be a very positive thing. Detractors claim the different cartridge flavors—chocolate, strawberry, apple—make them attractive to kids. Also, although you’re mostly inhaling a vaporized version of nicotine and water, the concoction includes something called Propylene glycol, a compound used in deodorant, hand sanitizers, and anti-freeze. The jury is still out on whether this is a viable alternative to quitting, or a less but still sketchy quick fix. For the last two weeks, there was not an hour I spent without my e-cigarette, and the experience kind of freaked me out.
понедельник, 1 февраля 2010 г.
Smoking ban could be extended to cover office doorways
Andy Burnham, the health secretary, will review the current law to see if it should be strengthened to include areas where smokers have gathered since the 2007 ban.
Plain packaging for cigarettes and a complete ban on cigarette vending machines could also be introduced.Mr Burnham said he wants to halve the number of smokers in England from one fifth (21%) of the population to one in 10 by 2020.
The target requires around four million of England's estimated eight million smokers to quit.
An extension of the ban – which currently covers enclosed spaces – to include open-air but busy areas such as office doorways and pub gardens, would also reduce passive smoking, Department of Health (DH) officials believe.
However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, said further legislation would “further erode our ability to choose how we wish to live our lives".
The number of smokers has fallen by a quarter in the past decade, but an estimated 200,000 young people start smoking every year.
In 2007 more than 80,000 deaths and 1.4 million hospital admissions were attributed to smoking and the Department of Health said the habit costs the NHS £2.7 billion a year.
Mr Burnham said: "Most smokers start before they are 18, so we have to discourage children and young people from ever starting.
"Now that we've banned advertising and will soon see an end to attractive displays in shops, the only remaining method of advertising tobacco is the packaging. So we will carefully consider whether there is evidence for making tobacco companies use plain packets.
"We will always help people to quit, and smokers should never stop trying. That's the beauty of the NHS – it's there to help everyone.
"One day, in the not too distant future, we'll look back and find it hard to remember why anyone ever smoked in the first place."
His review, which will begin in July to coincide with the third anniversary of the ban in England, will consider spaces outside buildings.
In addition to the entrances to office blocks, many of which are now a frequent haunt of smokers, he will look at the effects of smoking areas outside pubs, bars and nightclubs as well as bus shelters.
Mr Clark, of Forest, said the government had already introduced "some of the most draconian antismoking laws in the world", adding: "In an allegedly free society, this is nothing to be proud of."
He said: "The current smoking ban, which has had a devastating impact on community pubs and clubs, is out of all proportion to the harm allegedly caused by second-hand smoke. Further restrictions will only accelerate that trend."
"The Health Secretary says he wants to crack down on cheap illicit cigarettes, but at the same time the government says it will consider increases in tobacco duty.
"Don't they understand that one of the reasons Britain has such a problem with illicit cigarettes is because this government has increased tobacco taxation to record levels and that has encouraged criminal gangs and individuals to smuggle millions of cheap cigarettes into the country?"
More than 80,000 deaths are attributed to smoking ever year, costing the NHS £2.7 billion a year.
Plain packaging for cigarettes and a complete ban on cigarette vending machines could also be introduced.Mr Burnham said he wants to halve the number of smokers in England from one fifth (21%) of the population to one in 10 by 2020.
The target requires around four million of England's estimated eight million smokers to quit.
An extension of the ban – which currently covers enclosed spaces – to include open-air but busy areas such as office doorways and pub gardens, would also reduce passive smoking, Department of Health (DH) officials believe.
However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, said further legislation would “further erode our ability to choose how we wish to live our lives".
The number of smokers has fallen by a quarter in the past decade, but an estimated 200,000 young people start smoking every year.
In 2007 more than 80,000 deaths and 1.4 million hospital admissions were attributed to smoking and the Department of Health said the habit costs the NHS £2.7 billion a year.
Mr Burnham said: "Most smokers start before they are 18, so we have to discourage children and young people from ever starting.
"Now that we've banned advertising and will soon see an end to attractive displays in shops, the only remaining method of advertising tobacco is the packaging. So we will carefully consider whether there is evidence for making tobacco companies use plain packets.
"We will always help people to quit, and smokers should never stop trying. That's the beauty of the NHS – it's there to help everyone.
"One day, in the not too distant future, we'll look back and find it hard to remember why anyone ever smoked in the first place."
His review, which will begin in July to coincide with the third anniversary of the ban in England, will consider spaces outside buildings.
In addition to the entrances to office blocks, many of which are now a frequent haunt of smokers, he will look at the effects of smoking areas outside pubs, bars and nightclubs as well as bus shelters.
Mr Clark, of Forest, said the government had already introduced "some of the most draconian antismoking laws in the world", adding: "In an allegedly free society, this is nothing to be proud of."
He said: "The current smoking ban, which has had a devastating impact on community pubs and clubs, is out of all proportion to the harm allegedly caused by second-hand smoke. Further restrictions will only accelerate that trend."
"The Health Secretary says he wants to crack down on cheap illicit cigarettes, but at the same time the government says it will consider increases in tobacco duty.
"Don't they understand that one of the reasons Britain has such a problem with illicit cigarettes is because this government has increased tobacco taxation to record levels and that has encouraged criminal gangs and individuals to smuggle millions of cheap cigarettes into the country?"
More than 80,000 deaths are attributed to smoking ever year, costing the NHS £2.7 billion a year.
пятница, 29 января 2010 г.
Panel snuffs tobacco tax hike
A bill to raise money for education by boosting state cigarette taxes by $1 a pack went up in smoke Thursday when a legislative committee voted unanimously against the idea.
The House Business and Industry Committee voted to table House Bill 35, sponsored by state Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, effectively killing it for this session.
Egolf said the legislation would have raised $36 million, which would have been earmarked for the public schools. He also said raising the price of cigarettes would be the best way to discourage teenagers from smoking.
Egolf also argued that the tax eventually would save money on Medicare and Medicaid because fewer people would start smoking as teens.
Health advocates, including the American Cancer Society, supported the bill. So did several labor and religious organizations, who saw they bill as a way to prevent further cuts to education and other state programs as the state grapples with a $600 million budget shortfall.
Gov. Bill Richardson in recent weeks has said he could support an increase in tobacco taxes.
Opposing the bill, however, were tobacco lobbyists and representatives of several business groups.
Among the opponents was Mark Smith of the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the locally-based maker of American Spirit cigarettes. Smith said the company, which manufactures its cigarettes in North Carolina, employs 450 people. “We pay a good wage,” he said. “We’ve been in Santa Fe 27 years.” Smith claimed the cigarette tax increase would cause the loss of hundreds of jobs statewide in the retail industry.
State Rep. Jim Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, praised Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, noting the company is headquartered in his district. He said he’d fight to protect the company even if it meant voting against the bill — which he did.
Some opponents noted that the federal tax on cigarettes went up by 62 cents a pack only last year.
Rep. Eliseo Lee Alcon, D-Milan, who said he chews Skoal, told the committee he’d start buying his chewing tobacco at tax-free stores on Indian land if the tax goes up. His local Allsups convenience store would lose out on the $3.80 he spends there every five days on Skoal, he said.
Some committee members questioned the earmarking of revenue from the bill for education. Some expressed the fear that other funds getting revenue from tobacco excise tax — such as the University of New Mexico Cancer Center and the rural cancer treatment program — would be shortchanged.
Egolf tried to explain that while the percentage of the revenue going to those programs would go down, the actual amount would stay the same. That is because there would be more revenue coming in from the tax increase.
But some members worried that if tobacco consumption went down — as advocates predicted — revenue for these programs would suffer. Both Egolf and an analyst for the state Tax and Revenue Department said projections show the revenue would not fall.
The committee chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-Espanola, said that earmarking the money for education caused confusion among members. Interviewed after the meeting, Egolf said that might have been a factor in the bill’s defeat. He said he included the earmark because polling last year showed wide public support for increasing the tax to pay for education.
There are two Senate bills still alive that would raise cigarette taxes. But even if one or both those passed the Senate, they likely would have to go through the same committee that voted down HB35.
The House Business and Industry Committee voted to table House Bill 35, sponsored by state Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, effectively killing it for this session.
Egolf said the legislation would have raised $36 million, which would have been earmarked for the public schools. He also said raising the price of cigarettes would be the best way to discourage teenagers from smoking.
Egolf also argued that the tax eventually would save money on Medicare and Medicaid because fewer people would start smoking as teens.
Health advocates, including the American Cancer Society, supported the bill. So did several labor and religious organizations, who saw they bill as a way to prevent further cuts to education and other state programs as the state grapples with a $600 million budget shortfall.
Gov. Bill Richardson in recent weeks has said he could support an increase in tobacco taxes.
Opposing the bill, however, were tobacco lobbyists and representatives of several business groups.
Among the opponents was Mark Smith of the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the locally-based maker of American Spirit cigarettes. Smith said the company, which manufactures its cigarettes in North Carolina, employs 450 people. “We pay a good wage,” he said. “We’ve been in Santa Fe 27 years.” Smith claimed the cigarette tax increase would cause the loss of hundreds of jobs statewide in the retail industry.
State Rep. Jim Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, praised Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, noting the company is headquartered in his district. He said he’d fight to protect the company even if it meant voting against the bill — which he did.
Some opponents noted that the federal tax on cigarettes went up by 62 cents a pack only last year.
Rep. Eliseo Lee Alcon, D-Milan, who said he chews Skoal, told the committee he’d start buying his chewing tobacco at tax-free stores on Indian land if the tax goes up. His local Allsups convenience store would lose out on the $3.80 he spends there every five days on Skoal, he said.
Some committee members questioned the earmarking of revenue from the bill for education. Some expressed the fear that other funds getting revenue from tobacco excise tax — such as the University of New Mexico Cancer Center and the rural cancer treatment program — would be shortchanged.
Egolf tried to explain that while the percentage of the revenue going to those programs would go down, the actual amount would stay the same. That is because there would be more revenue coming in from the tax increase.
But some members worried that if tobacco consumption went down — as advocates predicted — revenue for these programs would suffer. Both Egolf and an analyst for the state Tax and Revenue Department said projections show the revenue would not fall.
The committee chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-Espanola, said that earmarking the money for education caused confusion among members. Interviewed after the meeting, Egolf said that might have been a factor in the bill’s defeat. He said he included the earmark because polling last year showed wide public support for increasing the tax to pay for education.
There are two Senate bills still alive that would raise cigarette taxes. But even if one or both those passed the Senate, they likely would have to go through the same committee that voted down HB35.
среда, 27 января 2010 г.
Teenager robbed of cigarettes and a lighter at knifepoint by 3 men
A TEENAGER was robbed at knifepoint by three men.
The 17-year-old was grabbed from behind and forced around the back of shops near the junction of Ovenden Way and Nursery Lane, Halifax.
The robbers threatened him with a knife before stealing cigarettes and a lighter.
The victim suffered minor injuries in the attack.
The suspects are all white. The first, who spoke with a local accent, is described as 6ft 1ins tall and was wearing a black Adidas scarf covering his face.
The second is around 5ft 6ins tall and of skinny build, and was wearing a black baseball cap with a red logo on the front. He was wearing a black hoody with a collar similar to a scarf, which was pulled up over his mouth.
The third is not very tall, and was wearing white Adidas tracksuit bottoms and a black hoody with the hood up and a scarf over his mouth.
Anyone with information about the incident, which happened around 8.30pm on Sunday, should contact DC Brian Burke at Calderdale CID on 01422 337085.
The 17-year-old was grabbed from behind and forced around the back of shops near the junction of Ovenden Way and Nursery Lane, Halifax.
The robbers threatened him with a knife before stealing cigarettes and a lighter.
The victim suffered minor injuries in the attack.
The suspects are all white. The first, who spoke with a local accent, is described as 6ft 1ins tall and was wearing a black Adidas scarf covering his face.
The second is around 5ft 6ins tall and of skinny build, and was wearing a black baseball cap with a red logo on the front. He was wearing a black hoody with a collar similar to a scarf, which was pulled up over his mouth.
The third is not very tall, and was wearing white Adidas tracksuit bottoms and a black hoody with the hood up and a scarf over his mouth.
Anyone with information about the incident, which happened around 8.30pm on Sunday, should contact DC Brian Burke at Calderdale CID on 01422 337085.
понедельник, 25 января 2010 г.
Cigarette use in county's youth above the average
According to the Indiana Prevention Resource Center's 2008 survey of school students, Montgomery County students in grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 reported above state average use of cigarettes - making it about one in every five students in these grades that smoked on a regular basis. While the state's youth tobacco use rates have been on the decline between 2003-2008, use of cigarettes is still a significant issue for Hoosier teens.
Studies have shown that younger a person is when they become addicted to the drug nicotine, the more difficulty they will have quitting smoking. Among American adults, cigarette use kills over 400,000 people from a variety of cancer and other chronic diseases. Indiana ranks second in the nation for adult cigarette use and Montgomery County has one of the higher rates in the state at approximately 30 percent.
There have been other research findings that show that the younger a person is when they use tobacco, the more likely they are to use alcohol, marijuana and other drugs. Cigarette use takes its toll on the young person's physical and mental health. Experimenting with cigarettes can easily lead to addiction, which will present a life-long burden on the user's health and finances.
Project Toward No Tobacco (TNT) is an evidence-based curriculum that seeks to prevent tobacco use in young people; particularly those aged 10-14. The program is designed to counteract several different causes of tobacco use by young people.
The AHEAD Coalition has adopted Project TNT and will be working with each school corporation over the next few months to deliver the program. Project TNT is a class-room based program that consists of 10 core lessons and two booster sessions. The sessions are no more than 50 minutes long and use a wide range of teaching approaches to engage students.
"Preventing first use of tobacco by young people is most important, because once young people begin smoking they are unlikely to stop," said AHEAD Program Manager Liz Thompson. "All educators can play a positive role in prevention.'
Thompson has worked with each corporation to put implement Project TNT with sixth and eighth grade students; as well as any other students who may be identified as high risk for tobacco use. Thompson will be administering the program as well as training school staff to deliver it in future years. In addition to this curriculum, Thompson is also certified to offer Tobacco Addiction Program (TAP) which helps individuals under the age of 18 quit smoking.
Activities in Project TNT include games, videos, role-plays, large and small group discussion, use of student worksheets, homework assignments, activism letter writing, and a videotaping project. Student participants will be evaluated by pre- and post-test measures to determine what they have learned from the program. The evidence of a reduced youth smoking rate as a result of the program will hopefully be seen in future IPRC student self reports.
The theory underlying project TNT is that youth will best be able to resist using tobacco products if they (1) are aware of misleading social information that facilitates tobacco use (e.g., pro-tobacco advertising, inflated estimates of the prevalence of tobacco use); (2) have skills that counteract the social pressures to achieve approval by using tobacco; and (3) appreciate the physical consequences that tobacco use may have on their own lives. These are all emphasized in Project TNT.
Studies have shown that younger a person is when they become addicted to the drug nicotine, the more difficulty they will have quitting smoking. Among American adults, cigarette use kills over 400,000 people from a variety of cancer and other chronic diseases. Indiana ranks second in the nation for adult cigarette use and Montgomery County has one of the higher rates in the state at approximately 30 percent.
There have been other research findings that show that the younger a person is when they use tobacco, the more likely they are to use alcohol, marijuana and other drugs. Cigarette use takes its toll on the young person's physical and mental health. Experimenting with cigarettes can easily lead to addiction, which will present a life-long burden on the user's health and finances.
Project Toward No Tobacco (TNT) is an evidence-based curriculum that seeks to prevent tobacco use in young people; particularly those aged 10-14. The program is designed to counteract several different causes of tobacco use by young people.
The AHEAD Coalition has adopted Project TNT and will be working with each school corporation over the next few months to deliver the program. Project TNT is a class-room based program that consists of 10 core lessons and two booster sessions. The sessions are no more than 50 minutes long and use a wide range of teaching approaches to engage students.
"Preventing first use of tobacco by young people is most important, because once young people begin smoking they are unlikely to stop," said AHEAD Program Manager Liz Thompson. "All educators can play a positive role in prevention.'
Thompson has worked with each corporation to put implement Project TNT with sixth and eighth grade students; as well as any other students who may be identified as high risk for tobacco use. Thompson will be administering the program as well as training school staff to deliver it in future years. In addition to this curriculum, Thompson is also certified to offer Tobacco Addiction Program (TAP) which helps individuals under the age of 18 quit smoking.
Activities in Project TNT include games, videos, role-plays, large and small group discussion, use of student worksheets, homework assignments, activism letter writing, and a videotaping project. Student participants will be evaluated by pre- and post-test measures to determine what they have learned from the program. The evidence of a reduced youth smoking rate as a result of the program will hopefully be seen in future IPRC student self reports.
The theory underlying project TNT is that youth will best be able to resist using tobacco products if they (1) are aware of misleading social information that facilitates tobacco use (e.g., pro-tobacco advertising, inflated estimates of the prevalence of tobacco use); (2) have skills that counteract the social pressures to achieve approval by using tobacco; and (3) appreciate the physical consequences that tobacco use may have on their own lives. These are all emphasized in Project TNT.
пятница, 22 января 2010 г.
Move to Ban Groceries Near Schools
In an attempt to make cigarettes inaccessible to underage youth, officials are mulling over banning groceries near schools and sports stadiums.
The move follows the recent introduction of the federal anti-tobacco law that specifies sale of tobacco products in designated areas only and also bans sale of cigarettes to youth under the age of 18.
Under the new by-laws that are expected to take shape soon, groceries will also be required to obtain special permits before being allowed to stock and sell cigarettes. “Once implemented, municipalities will carry out intense ‘sting perations’ to ensure rules are being followed,” said a senior official.
“A GCC-wide draft law on licensing of groceries to allow them to sell cigarettes is ready for implementation,” said Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, Head of the National Tobacco Control Committee at the UAE Ministry of Health.
“This law will help us draft regulations at the local level which will curb sale to both the youth and adults,” she explained, while talking to Khaleej Times on Thursday. She said the issue would be further discussed during a GCC-wide meeting to be held in Kuwait next week. “The law has been announced but we are still detailing the by-laws and will announce further health policies in this regard soon,” said Salem Al Darmaki, Acting Director General at the ministry.
Though a UAE-wide law barring groceries from selling cigarettes to underage youth has been there since 2000, it has never been strictly implemented, said Dr Wedad. “Groceries have been flouting rules openly since there has been no strict implementation,” she explained. However, once the licensing procedures are in place, groceries will not be able to stock any such products, and hence will not be able to make these retail sales to youth, she added.
Smoking or tobacco use among schoolchildren in the UAE starts at an early age, according to the Global School Health Survey (GSHS) released in 2005 which is the only such survey to date.According to the survey conducted among 15,790 students from 200 schools from all over the UAE, 9.3 per cent of the students smoked cigarettes and 10.7 per cent used another form of tobacco on one or more days during one month.
Boys were found to be significantly more likely than girl students to smoke or use tobacco in any form, the survey showed. Under the anti-tobacco law, shopkeepers can ask for identification in case they doubt the buyers’ age before selling any tobacco product.
However, grocery owners admitted they were not following any such rules but said the new rule could affect sales.
“People get upset if we ask for identification,” said a grocer in Sharjah, the second emirate following Dubai to ban smoking even before introduction of the federal law.
“Most regular customers ask only for only one cigarette or so. If we ask for identifications, they may stop buying from us,” he added. Another local grocer also admitted that he was aware that in some cases, adults bought cigarettes for oungsters.
“We can’t say no in such cases,” he added. Under the new federal law, sale of tobacco will entail a jail term of up to a year and a fine of up to Dh100,000.
The move follows the recent introduction of the federal anti-tobacco law that specifies sale of tobacco products in designated areas only and also bans sale of cigarettes to youth under the age of 18.
Under the new by-laws that are expected to take shape soon, groceries will also be required to obtain special permits before being allowed to stock and sell cigarettes. “Once implemented, municipalities will carry out intense ‘sting perations’ to ensure rules are being followed,” said a senior official.
“A GCC-wide draft law on licensing of groceries to allow them to sell cigarettes is ready for implementation,” said Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, Head of the National Tobacco Control Committee at the UAE Ministry of Health.
“This law will help us draft regulations at the local level which will curb sale to both the youth and adults,” she explained, while talking to Khaleej Times on Thursday. She said the issue would be further discussed during a GCC-wide meeting to be held in Kuwait next week. “The law has been announced but we are still detailing the by-laws and will announce further health policies in this regard soon,” said Salem Al Darmaki, Acting Director General at the ministry.
Though a UAE-wide law barring groceries from selling cigarettes to underage youth has been there since 2000, it has never been strictly implemented, said Dr Wedad. “Groceries have been flouting rules openly since there has been no strict implementation,” she explained. However, once the licensing procedures are in place, groceries will not be able to stock any such products, and hence will not be able to make these retail sales to youth, she added.
Smoking or tobacco use among schoolchildren in the UAE starts at an early age, according to the Global School Health Survey (GSHS) released in 2005 which is the only such survey to date.According to the survey conducted among 15,790 students from 200 schools from all over the UAE, 9.3 per cent of the students smoked cigarettes and 10.7 per cent used another form of tobacco on one or more days during one month.
Boys were found to be significantly more likely than girl students to smoke or use tobacco in any form, the survey showed. Under the anti-tobacco law, shopkeepers can ask for identification in case they doubt the buyers’ age before selling any tobacco product.
However, grocery owners admitted they were not following any such rules but said the new rule could affect sales.
“People get upset if we ask for identification,” said a grocer in Sharjah, the second emirate following Dubai to ban smoking even before introduction of the federal law.
“Most regular customers ask only for only one cigarette or so. If we ask for identifications, they may stop buying from us,” he added. Another local grocer also admitted that he was aware that in some cases, adults bought cigarettes for oungsters.
“We can’t say no in such cases,” he added. Under the new federal law, sale of tobacco will entail a jail term of up to a year and a fine of up to Dh100,000.
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