Saudi Arabia urged to increase tobacco taxes

A health expert in Saudi Arabia has urged the authorities to increase cigarette prices after becoming concerned at the increasing number of young people, particularly schoolchildren, becoming addicted to smoking, according to a story in the Arab News.

Professor Mohammad bin Jabir Yamani, chairman of the Naqaa society, was quoted as saying that the percentage of smokers among young people varied from 13 to 15 percent, and that the percentage was rising among school-aged children.

He said that his society had treated about 10,000 smokers, of whom 60 percent had given up smoking.

Yamani said the society was co-ordinating with other societies and the Ministry of Health to raise the prices of tobacco products in Saudi Arabia because they were lower than those in other parts of the world.