 The number of smokers in Saudi Arabia has amplified to a big sum of six million, of which 600,000 are women. There are also 772,000 teenage smokers, including students. Many smokers may be unaware of this phenomenon but it is true: smoking causes blindness. The generic form of blindness caused by smoking is "age-related macular degeneration." Smoking is also a cause of cataract, amongst many other life-threatening diseases. Every 6.5 seconds, a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Saudi Arabia, 22,000 Saudis die of smoking related diseases every year, according to the Anti-Smoking Society.
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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
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.