Saudi Gazette report

DAMMAM — The Ministry of Health has reported that the increase in tobacco tax made many smokers to seek medical help to quit the habit.

Naqaa Anti-Smoking Society head Sulaiman Al-Sabi said the tobacco tax was increased by 348 percent.

"Our clinics witnessed a large increase in patients who came in wanting to quit smoking so they won't have to pay the taxes on tobacco. The price of a packet of cigarettes has now reached SR25. The smoker would be paying SR750 a month for cigarettes," Al-Sabi told Makkah newspaper.

He said some of the patients wanted to quit smoking entirely and others just wanted to lessen the number of cigarettes they smoke a day.

"The Customs Control reported that the import of tobacco decreased by 70 percent in comparison to last year. The reason for the decrease could be that less people are buying tobacco due to the price increase or it could be that tobacco vendors are importing large stocks and store them until they need to restock," said Al-Sabi.

He also said there were a lot of TV series aired during the month of Ramadan where the actors smoked. "That is a trigger to smokers trying to quit. There should be censorship imposed on them. Western countries such as the US started cutting off scenes and shows where the characters smoke. Showing these scenes is a bad influence on young viewers and children as well," said Al-Sabi.

He said raising the taxes on tobacco was not enough to combat smoking. The Ministry of Health should implement harsh fines on vendors selling cigarettes to children under 18 years old.

People should also stay away from fatty foods, tea and coffee as these foods whet the appetite to smoke.