Some 13 percent of Saudi male students and 5 percent of female students are smokers, said an expert citing data released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

 

“The Kingdom loses SR5 billion annually as a result of the negative effects of smoking and thanks to the fact that the price of cigarettes in the Kingdom is the lowest globally, which makes it easier for youth to get hooked,” Mohamed Al-Maiuf, executive director of the Anti-Smoking Society (Naqa), told a local daily.

 

“A packet of cigarettes is sold for SR8 here compared with more than SR50 in tobacco-producing countries in Europe and the United States,” he said.

 

“A 10-percent increase in the price of tobacco products could curb consumption by 4 percent in developed countries and 8 percent in developing countries. In fact, tobacco-related death could be reduced by as much as 25 percent if a 70 percent price hike is implemented.”

 

Naqa aims to spread an anti-smoking culture and create a smoke-free environment in public places, in addition to entering into partnership with companies to enhance anti-smoking initiatives.

 

“Men and women in the Kingdom have been effectively bombarded by tobacco campaigns that must be fought. Regulations banning the sale of tobacco to children under the age of 18 must be implemented.”

 

“Anti-smoking clinics have helped people of all age groups quit smoking, from an 11-year-old boy to a 70-year-old woman,” he said.