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Anti-smoking law tobe enforced more strictly from May 31
DUBAI — Authorities are planning stricter enforcement of the year-old Anti-Smoking Law as the final draft of the bylaw is ready. The enforcement may mean hefty fines and even jail terms for violators as stated in the law, according to a senior health official.
Even as the UAE’s Anti-Tobacco Law turned one year this January, enforcement has not been as forthcoming as health officials had expected. During the upcoming World No Tobacco Day on May 31, health officials said they will be announcing the law again as a reminder. The announcement will also call for authorities concerned to start strict enforcement of the law by issuing fines and nabbing violators.
“We have been working on the finer details of the law which are now ready,” said Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, Head of the National Tobacco Control Committee at the Ministry of Health who presented the final version of the bylaws to higher official at the ministry last month. However, the Health Council will approve the bylaw before it is presented for final approval to the UAE cabinet by June, she said. Once the bylaws are published in the official gazette, authorities will join hands to nab violators, she added. The bylaws describe in detail what has already been mentioned in the law. Complete ban on advertising and licensing, controls on the method of sale and display of tobacco products and specification of smoking areas in closed public places are among the several details that the bylaws have addressed.
“Prominent display of cigarettes such as packets being placed near the cashier will not be allowed at all,” she explained. “Likewise, those smoking with children in their cars will also be fined up to Dh500 as specified in the law,” said Dr Wedad.
The bylaws also curb the cultivation and manufacturing of tobacco in the country. “We had to carry out a study to determine how much had been invested in the country by manufacturers before deciding on the bylaw,” she explained.
Plans are also afoot to increase the wholesale prices of cigarettes as a means to curb smoking in a country where at least 24 per cent of the residents die due to cardiovascular diseases caused directly or indirectly due to tobacco use. — asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com
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