Within its annual anti-smoking plan, which has been launched in the occasion of the World anti-Tobacco Day the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) is organizing a number of informative health campaigns and programmes, targeting the general public, especially the youth.
Dr. Al Anoud bint Mohamed Al Thani, non-communicable diseases manager, said that the SCH is organizing several media campaigns with the objective of reminding the public with the anti-smoking law, plus making people more aware of the passive smoking dangers. In this regard, several prominent personalities have been hosted to address the subject through the media. .
Dr. Al Anoud added that the anti-smoking unit of the non-communicable diseases was established mainly to curb the dangers of smoking, The Unit is has been charged with implementing the Law No. 20 of 2002. However the role of this unit goes beyond implementing the Law, to disseminating health awareness among the public.
Dr. Al Anoud drew the attention that the anti-smoking law pointed in its Article (7) to the prohibition of selling or displaying any quantity of expired tobacco one year after
its production. It also prohibits selling cigarettes, tobacco or its derivatives for anyone less than 18 years. The seller shall not defend himself by claiming that he does not know the age of the buyer. Article (8) of the Law prohibits advertisement for cigarettes and tobacco in all modes of media. Article (9) obliges all stores selling tobacco items to show clearly the warning statement mentioned in paragraph (2) of Article (6) of the above mentioned law.
The law also prohibits smoking in various types of closed public places like buses, clubs, commercial centres etc…Moreover the law prohibits selling cigarettes, tobacco and its derivatives within a distance of less than 500 meters of schools and other educational or training institutions. I t is worth mentioning here that this law is currently under amendment.
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