Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Tobacco Control Policies for OIC Member States
SESRIC jointly organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Turkey and the Turkish Green Crescent Society the “Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Tobacco Control Policies for OIC Member States ” in Istanbul, Turkey on 14-16 December 2016.
The Saudi Arabian government has significantly stepped up the nation’s fight against tobacco use by requiring public places to be smoke-free. The smoke-free policy will apply to government offices, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and shopping malls in addition to airports, which have been smoke-free since 2011. It even applies to water-pipes, or shisha.
There are press reports that 1002 lawbreakers have been caught and fined at Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport so far after the ban on smoking came into effect. That is really great news. Smoking is a real threat not only to the smokers but those who are around them. It is true that in some countries tobacco industry generates revenue to the government but this is nothing when compared to the costs of smoke-borne diseases. Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest consumers of tobacco in the world. In this country the government and other organizations and volunteers (including expatriates) have to join hands to launch a campaign to make the people aware of the hazards of smoking.
Developing Impactful Awareness Raising Campaigns towards Reducing Tobacco Consumption
Training Course on ‘Packaging, Labeling and Pictorial Health Warnings on Tobacco Products’
World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the 3rd session of the Conference of the Parties
The Saudi Arabian government has significantly stepped up the nation’s fight against tobacco use by requiring public places to be smoke-free. The smoke-free policy will apply to government offices, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and shopping malls in addition to airports, which have been smoke-free since 2011. It even applies to water-pipes, or shisha.
There are press reports that 1002 lawbreakers have been caught and fined at Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport so far after the ban on smoking came into effect. That is really great news. Smoking is a real threat not only to the smokers but those who are around them. It is true that in some countries tobacco industry generates revenue to the government but this is nothing when compared to the costs of smoke-borne diseases. Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest consumers of tobacco in the world. In this country the government and other organizations and volunteers (including expatriates) have to join hands to launch a campaign to make the people aware of the hazards of smoking.