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Last Updated: Sep 12th, 2007 - 08:40:39 |
Tobacco Companies Fail to Show Up; Hearing Postponed
Sep 12, 2007, 08:36
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RIYADH, 12 September 2007 — The first court hearing in the lawsuit filed by the Health Ministry against two international tobacco companies over smoking-related cancer and illnesses in Saudi Arabia was postponed yesterday as representatives of the tobacco companies failed to show up. Sheikh Muhammad Al-Fayez, the Riyadh Higher Court judge who is presiding over the case, postponed the hearing to Oct. 31. According to a senior Health Ministry official, two major international tobacco companies have been sued in the case. The names of the companies were not disclosed. “All health officials concerned in the case appeared at the trial within the specific time appointed by the judge. No representatives from the companies came,” said Ibrahim Al-Musaiteer, head of the legal department at the Health Ministry. “The ministry intends to compile a new list to be submitted in the next court hearing which will include other tobacco companies.” The Ministry of Health is suing international tobacco companies for SR10 billion to cover the health care costs in smoking-related illnesses. In addition, it is asking for another SR500 million compensation to be paid annually. “Part of the SR500 million will go as funding to the ministry to build more anti-smoking clinics in the Kingdom,” Al-Fayez said. The health official noted that the sales of cigarettes have increased in the Kingdom in the past several years. “The tobacco companies are keen on getting big profits in Saudi Arabia because they realize that their sales are going down in developed countries,” he said, referring to the decline in the number of smokers in the United States and many European countries. According to statistics from the Health Ministry, Saudis smoke an approximate 15 billion cigarettes worth $1.5 billion annually. According to one international report, Saudi Arabia is the world’s fourth biggest importer of tobacco. The United States is the leading tobacco exporter to Saudi Arabia. In 2005, the Kingdom imported 9,089 tons of cigarettes from the US at a cost of SR867,739 million, according to the Central Department of Statistics and Information, Ministry of Economy and Planning. Tobacco products are also imported from countries such as Switzerland, Germany, the UK and Indonesia. The black substance used in sheesha pipes, known locally known as “jurak”, is imported from Yemen. Even though hazards of sheesha smoking are many, the practice is not as widespread as cigarette-smoking since sheesha pipes cannot be carried around like a packet of cigarettes. Flavored tobacco used in smaller sheeshas is common in the Kingdom and is popular among younger smokers. As a signatory to a World Health Organization agreement, the Kingdom is obliged to design strategies to cut down demand for tobacco, such as increasing taxes on cigarettes, placing restrictions on tobacco advertisements, launching educational campaigns against smoking, helping smokers to give up the habit, combating illegal sales and banning sales of tobacco to underage consumers. Even though the Kingdom has yet to issue a law to ban smoking in public places, a royal decree forbids smoking in all government buildings. Current endeavors by the government have succeeded in making the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah smoke-free. Under new municipality orders, only sheesha outlets and gasoline stations open 24 hours are allowed to sell cigarettes in the two holy cities. The Health Ministry claims that it allocates 10 percent of its annual budget to combat smoking. Currently the ministry supervises 28 anti-smoking clinics in the Kingdom.
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