Saudi Cabinet approves new License regulation for selling Tobacco products
Saudi Arabia's Cabinet approved a new licensing regulation on tobacco products, The new law will allow restaurants and cafes in the Kingdom to sell tobacco products on paying a licensing fee of 100,000 SR annually. Read : Penalty for smoking at public places
Every restaurant and cafe manager should be licensed in order to provide the service of smoking and selling tobacco products inside and outside their premises.
- The new law is part of a strategy in Saudi Arabia to reduce smoking and address a serious health crisis, the selective tax on cigarettes is a proven strategy for reducing smoking. Trending : Imports of tobacco products dropped by 43% in Saudi Arabia
- As many restaurants and cafes may not able to afford to pay for such an expensive permit, So there will be less smoking in the restaurants. It means there will be fewer people exposed to second hand smoke in restaurants.
- The Kingdom had one of the highest smoking rates in the world, The numbers of smokers in Saudi Arabia was expected to rise from 6 million to 10 million in the coming years. Most Viewed : New selective tax on eCigarettes and sugary drinks
- This step of licensing for selling tobacco products will reduce the numbers. It is going to motivate and help existing cigarette and tobacco users to quit while preventing new smokers from easy picking of this habit.
- Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to accept the World Health Organization(WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005, with a plan to reduce smoking rates from 12.7 to 5 % by the year 2030. See Also : 100% tax on tobacco products in Saudi Arabia
