Egypt Passes National Anti-Smoking Law..

June 22, 2007 - Egypt's People's Assembly has passed anti-smoking legislation banning the sale of tobacco to minors under 18 and from smoking in indoor areas. The law, which goes into effect immediately, also includes a ten percent increase in the cost of cigarettes.

"The price hike is important in order to discourage youngsters from smoking and to decrease smoking in general and reduce tobacco sales," Hamdi El Sayed, chairman of the People's Assembly Health Committee and head of the Doctor's Syndicate in Cairo, said in a statement.

Smoking will now be prohibited in health and educational organizations, youth centers, legislative associations and all governmental authorities and clubs. A fine between 1,000 EGP ($175 USD) and 50,000 EGP ($9,000 USD) was also added to the new law for violations of the new tobacco law.

According to a report by the Health Committee, Egyptians smoke roughly 19 million cigarettes each year, spending around 3 billion EGP ($520 million USD). It added that smokers in the country increase by six to nine percent every year as compared to only one percent in the West.

Raising prices are believed to be one of the main ways of decreasing new smokers. In 1992, a ten-piaster (2 cents USD) increase in a pack of cigarettes generated 200 million EGP ($30 million USD) in revenue, but did not stop new smokers from manifesting.

Egypt is one of the cheapest countries in the world to purchase cigarettes.

About image: Cleopatra Cigarettes produced in Egypt by Eastern Company are the most popular cigarettes in The Middle East. More than 100,000,000 People in The Middle East smoke Cleopatra Cigarettes.

Reference: Egypt Passes National Anti-Smoking Law, vitabeat.com, 6/21/2007.