Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s government restricted tobacco products’ sales and raised the legal age for smokers to 21 years, as per officials.
Work is under process on a project to ban the sale of tobacco products at grocery stores and supermarkets, added Dr Mansour Al Qahtani, the secretary-general of the Saudi National Committee for Tobacco Control.
He stated that the government is working with the Health Ministry on executing a related strategy set by the World Health Organisation, including raising the legal age for having access to tobacco products and cafes from 18 years to 21.
According to Dr Al Qahtani, we are thinking and working to raise the age to 21 years soon. He added that Legislising the sale of tobacco products at some stores will make them not easily available as it is mostly available at all grocery stores and supermarkets.
Furthermore, he stated that the moves would help to determine customers of tobacco products and set up a database on them.
As per the data given by the government of Saudi Arabia that the country currently has around 35 million is believed to be more than 5 million.
In 2005, the Kingdom confirmed the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control.