Tag: middle east

From Tradition to Transition

By adrian_ilie825
With the launch of its Sixhill heated-tobacco brand, Firstunion is offering smokers in the Middle East a less risky alternative to smoking.
By Stefanie Rossel
The Middle East is one of the last growth markets for combustible cigarettes. Tobacco has been deeply rooted in the culture since the 1600s, and regional smoking rates are among the highest in the world. With a male smoking prevalence of 57.6 percent in 2022, Jordan tops the list, followed by 49.1 percent in Egypt and 42.9 percent in Lebanon, according a report published by THR.net.
Smoking is generally a male habit in the region. While cigarettes dominate the Middle Eastern tobacco market, other popular products include shisha, also known as waterpipe or hookah, and dokha, a powdered tobacco that comes in different varieties and strengths and is often mixed with spices, herbs and other substances.
While the World Health Organization projects smoking rates in the Middle East to decrease from 33.3 percent in 2020 to 31 percent in 2025, this is the smallest anticipated decline among all WHO regions. Embracing tobacco harm reduction (THR) could accelerate the decline of smoking prevalence. Demand for e-cigarettes in the region has been growing in recent years, with some places adopting heated-tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches as well.
“Increasing awareness of the health risks associated with smoking is driving demand for alternatives like HTPs and e-cigarettes, which are perceived as less harmful,” confirms Wayne Wu, senior director of business development (HTP BU) at Firstunion—Sixhill. “Younger demographics, particularly in countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, are increasingly turning to e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products as they become more conscious of lifestyle choices and trends.”
While vape products are still banned in a few countries, including Iran, Omar and Qatar, most Middle Eastern states now permit the sale of e-cigarettes. Legislation differs by nation, with many countries regulating e-cigarettes using the European Union Tobacco Product Directive as a blueprint. However, several states, including Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, tax vapes and heated-tobacco products at a rate of 100 percent or more in an attempt to curb the spread of electronic smoking devices, particularly among children, and to address the disparities in taxes between traditional cigarettes and smoking alternatives.
According to Wu, the evolution of the regulatory environment reflects ongoing efforts to improve product quality and advertising standards. “Additionally, some countries have established specific regulations for e-cigarettes and HTPs, defining product specifications, advertising and sales standards to foster more orderly market development,” he says.
High-Potential Markets
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Firstunion was a pioneer in the field of electronic atomization. The company offers a vast range of electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS) technologies, heated-tobacco solutions and atomizing equipment. In the Middle East, Firstunion launched its proprietary heated-tobacco brand, Sixhill, which it distributes through extensive partnerships in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and Iraq. “Firstunion focuses on the research, design and production of heated-tobacco products,” Wu explains. “We collaborate closely with major international HTP manufacturers, with our products marketed globally. We aim to provide premium, technology-driven and competitive products to our THP [tobacco-heating products] customers throughout the Middle East. We look forward to building deeper, stronger strategic collaborations with more clients across the region.”
According to Wu, the Middle East markets that offer the highest potential for innovative HTP technology are the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The UAE is one of the most open and affluent countries in the region, and since e-cigarettes and HTPs were legalized in 2019, demand for these products has steadily increased. “Young consumers and expatriates in the UAE show a high acceptance of HTP products, especially among middle-[income] and high-income groups focused on health and quality of life,” says Wu.
“The UAE’s positive stance toward technological innovation makes it easier for new products and technologies to enter the market and potentially expand to other Middle Eastern countries. Furthermore, the UAE’s well-structured regulatory system allows compliant international brands to enter the market, which benefits the long-term growth of companies.”
Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Middle East, has gradually relaxed regulations on smoking alternatives. Since 2019, the kingdom has permitted the sale of HTP products, fueling demand. “With Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation and a rising young population, especially under the Vision 2030 initiative, there is an increasing demand among young people for modern lifestyles and innovative technology,” says Wu. “Saudi Arabia’s substantial market size, combined with a strong consumer preference for international brands and high-tech products, offers significant growth opportunities for companies with innovative heated-tobacco technology.”
Egypt, with its large population, is a crucial market too. Although HTP regulations are still evolving, the market holds immense potential, according to Wu. “There is a large number of smokers in Egypt, and demand for traditional cigarette alternatives, such as HTP products, is rising, particularly among young people and the middle class,” he says. “Given the market’s high price sensitivity, companies that can provide cost-effective, innovative technology will hold a competitive advantage in Egypt. Additionally, Egypt can serve as a gateway to the broader North African market.”
Rise of Local Brands
Regarding THR, Wu describes several trends in the Middle East, including the rise of local and international brands. “Leading international tobacco companies are actively expanding into the Middle East market, offering products that cater to local smokers seeking healthier and trendier options,” he says. “There also is an emergence of local brands: With a growing focus on health, many new tobacco brands have recently emerged across various Middle Eastern countries. These companies provide consumers with more health-conscious vaporized products and offer a more comprehensive, diverse service experience for local customers.” Firstunion collaborates with some of these brands, he adds.
HTPs and e-cigarette products are now widely available in physical stores, such as supermarkets and convenience stores, as well as through online channels, making it easier for consumers to purchase these products, according to Wu. “Major global and local retail chains are increasing their offerings of heated tobacco and e-cigarette products,” he says.
In recent years, the vaping industry in the region has diversified. “Besides traditional tobacco, products such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, herbal cigarettes and heated tobacco have flooded the market, offering richer flavors and more advanced technology,” says Wu. “While smokers now have a broader range of differentiated choices, market competition has also intensified. Among these options, HTPs are increasingly favored by consumers.”
Currently, Firstunion is promoting three heating technologies in the Middle East: Atine, which works with resistance heating; Insheat, which heats with induction; and Breelight, which is powered by infrared heating. Soon, the company plans to introduce its latest technology in the region: Alkaid technology. Launched this year and recognized with a “Best HnB innovation Award” at the 2024 Alternative Awards, Alkaid leverages the high-speed propagation of light to directly deliver energy to the tobacco, bypassing spatial constraints (see sidebar).
Complex Environment
Despite increasing demand, HTPs face several challenges in the region. “There is significant variation in tobacco product regulations across Middle Eastern countries, which increases complexity for manufacturers,” says Wu. “Regulations may change quickly due to public health campaigns or international agreements, making it challenging for manufacturers to remain compliant.”
He also names cultural sensitivity, with views on smoking and e-cigarettes differing widely due to cultural and religious beliefs across the region. “Many consumers still favor traditional tobacco products such as shisha and cigarettes, which may hinder the adoption of e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products,” says Wu.
In addition, increasing concerns about health risks associated with e-cigarettes and HTPs could lead to stricter scrutiny and more stringent regulations, whereas misunderstandings about the safety and risks of HTPs may foster a negative public image, influencing regulatory actions. Strict advertising regulations could limit how manufacturers promote their products, affecting brand visibility and consumer awareness. Certain countries in the region may impose import restrictions or tariffs on e-cigarettes and HTPs, impacting pricing and supply.
“Overall, HTP and e-cigarette manufacturers in the Middle East must operate within a complex landscape of regulations, cultural attitudes, competition and market dynamics,” Wu stresses. “Addressing these challenges effectively is essential for successful market entry and ensuring sustainable growth in the region.”
Firstunion has made significant strides in the Middle East, focusing on establishing a strong market presence through partnerships, product innovation and strategic marketing, Wu says. “Our future plans include expanding our distribution network, customizing products for local markets, ensuring regulatory compliance and enhancing brand visibility to capitalize on the growing demand for e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products in the region.”
As Middle Eastern consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability, the company plans to integrate eco-friendly practices into its production and packaging processes. “This commitment to sustainability enhances our appeal to environmentally conscious consumers,” says Wu.
The Power of Light
Firstunion’s Alkaid heated-tobacco technology works with light. The emitted wavelength of Alkaid technology ranges from 200 nm to 1 mm, enabling energy transfer in a noncontact heating process through a vacuum, significantly reducing the limitations of traditional heat conduction.
Alkaid’s light heating technology provides a continuous spectrum similar to sunlight, including ultraviolet, visible light, short-wave and mid-wave to long-wave infrared. The different wavelengths allow for varying penetration depths, achieving uniform and thorough heating of the entire tobacco segment, greatly enhancing nicotine and smoke release.
In this mode, the temperature of the tobacco remains below traditional heating levels, effectively avoiding pyrolysis temperatures, which significantly reduces the release of harmful substances.
Alkaid uses fully automated assembly line production, ensuring stable performance and a long lifespan, with tested cycles exceeding 10,000 times. Its outer casing is made from a material with high electromagnetic wave transparency, and the heating element can reach peak temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Celsius, effectively transferring energy through radiant heat. According to Firstunion, this excites nicotine and flavor compounds within the medium, delivering a rich and refined flavor with a higher nicotine conversion efficiency. —S.R.
Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.

December 2, 2024
Quitting Camel Country

Photo: Medwakh
Dokha, shisha, vapes: THR in the Middle East region
By Cheryl K. Olson
Tobacco has been part of daily life in the Middle East since the 1600s. An archeology journal describes excavations in Istanbul uncovering “massive numbers” of broken clay tobacco pipes from the centuries before the rise of cigarettes. Some of the highest smoking rates in the world are found in Middle East nations. Over half of men in Jordan smoke, for example.
“The Middle East has got an extremely long culture in terms of smoking. That’s going to be really hard to turn round,” says Harry Shapiro, a U.K.-based educator who reports on global tobacco harm reduction. Based on data from the World Health Organization, smoking was projected to decrease among men in the region by less than 2 percentage points, from 33.1 percent in 2010 to 31.2 percent in 2025.
Most of the top causes of death in countries in the region are either caused or worsened by smoking. New approaches are urgently needed. Yet there is a frustrating lack of information on where and how to start. A 2024 WHO report on global tobacco use trends notes that data in the Eastern Mediterranean region “are the least robust,” i.e., limited or outdated.
What’s different about the Middle East when it comes to tobacco use? What’s the need for tobacco harm reduction? And what factors might support or block the uptake of reduced-risk products?
Shisha, Dokha, Shammah
A U.S. university professor who has studied tobacco use trends in the region (and asked to remain anonymous) shared his local experiences and findings with me. One issue he faced was collecting information on reduced-harm products not yet authorized by regulators. Given Middle East government policies, researchers can’t ask questions about illegal behaviors. “I could be compelled to give individual-level data regardless of what people signed about confidentiality,” he said.
After the United Arab Emirates legalized e-cigarettes, his surveys found that vapes were widely used. “People shifted back and forth between cigarettes, e-cigarettes and a local tobacco called dokha, which means “dizzy.” Because you can inhale the equivalent of one cigarette’s worth in one or two quick puffs,” he said (see “Old School, Modern Market,” Tobacco Reporter, August 2014.)
Tobacco use in the Middle East has largely centered on three products. Cigarettes currently dominate, with use rates hovering around 30 percent for men. In most of the region, smoking is culturally unacceptable for women. Given the reluctance to admit to smoking, reported female use rates of about 2 percent may in reality be several times higher. In Lebanon, the professor noted, women can openly smoke. There, use rates are around 30 percent for both genders. Concerningly, his colleagues in that country feel that Lebanon is the tobacco use trendsetter for the region.
A second popular regional product is shisha tobacco, smoked through a water pipe or hookah. Use reportedly increased in the 1990s when flavored products emerged. “Previously, it was mostly grizzled old men in coffee shops,” the professor noted, “but the new products weren’t harsh or unpleasant in taste and became trendy among young people.” A 2020 review of research found “alarmingly high” use among university students in the region, including by women.
Hookah smoking is a social activity. A college student in Abu Dhabi might go out with friends and smoke hookah once or twice a week or once per month. However, some users are addicted and will smoke daily.
What sets shisha apart is the communal pipe. “There might be multiple hoses, but you’re still breathing through the same water and sharing germs,” the U.S. professor noted. “A session might go on for an hour and generate the same volume of smoke as five packs of cigarettes.” This means exposure to a huge quantity of smoke, even at the secondhand level. Even worse? Inhaling toxins and carbon monoxide from the charcoal burned to heat the waterpipe.
Finally, there is dokha. This powdered tobacco comes in different varieties and strengths and is often mixed with herbs, spices and other substances. Dokha is smoked in a small pipe (usually wooden) called a midwakh. Some users perceive it as a safer alternative to smoking, but the limited research suggests that dokha may give off more toxins than cigarettes. Despite dokha being as common as cigarettes in countries such as the UAE, published studies on dokha use, effects and cessation have been rare.
A regional oral tobacco product also merits mention and more study. Shammah is reportedly common in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Locally made by mixing ground tobacco leaf with flavorings (including lime, ash, black pepper and oils), shammah contains a variety of potential carcinogens, including nitrosamines.
Reducing Risk
Several countries in the Middle East (such as Iran, Oman and Qatar) still ban e-cigarettes, and others (e.g., Saudi Arabia) ban snus. But in general, the region has bucked the global trend, loosening regulations on vaping and heated-tobacco products. Nicotine pouches are largely unregulated. (See the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction website, GSTHR.org, for country-by-country information.)
More research is critically needed to help channel information and support to those Middle Eastern subgroups most endangered by their tobacco use behaviors. University students who occasionally smoke shisha, for example, likely face minimal risk.
Most evidence on vaping originates from North America and Europe. As a recent paper on e-cigarettes in the Middle East points out, studies within the region suffer from “overreliance on university-based samples, the overuse of non-user samples, a lack of studies on behavior change, high variance in existing data and a lack of uniform instruments to measure e-cigarette use.”
Shisha is a good example of the need for cultural sensitivity in promoting smoking cessation or a switch to less risky alternatives. “For hookah, people smoke very much for the social reason. It’s a social construct, not an addiction construct,” said the U.S. professor. “Most cessation interventions have not really worked because most have thought about hookah like cigarettes, with nicotine-replacement therapy and counseling.”
As one college student in the UAE told him, “People don’t drink alcohol here. There are no drugs. We need a way to hang out with our friends.” Effective reduced-risk substitutes for waterpipe smoking must deliver that.
Companies have begun creating reduced-harm products specifically for Middle East countries.
For example, Dubai-based ANDS (short for alternative nicotine-delivery solutions) makes vaping and heated-tobacco products. A company called OOKA has developed a charcoal-free shisha device. Philip Morris International recently acquired a stake in Eastern Co., Egypt’s largest tobacco producer, with a stated goal of providing alternatives to cigarettes for adults who smoke.
New technologies can make an attractive contrast to smelly old-fashioned cigarettes. “A lot of the vaping devices are really quite geeky—like a fancy electronic gadget that happens to deliver nicotine,” notes Shapiro. “They have touch-screens, and you can chart use on your laptop. So that’s likely to appeal to the younger generation of more wealthy urban groups” in the region. However, such products are likely to reach few lower income or rural people who smoke.
Shapiro notes that two things are necessary for reduced-harm nicotine to gain a foothold and start displacing cigarettes. First, “Governments have got to be prepared to get tough on smoking: banning smoking in public areas and such.” Second, there needs to be proportionate promotion of novel products, including lower taxes versus cigarettes, and education that supports the option of harm reduction alongside cessation. As a recent Lancet commentary (by former WHO leadership) notes, “In some countries, substantial reductions in smoking prevalence have coincided with novel nicotine products.”
“If a country does ban safer nicotine products, look at how much it relies on the tobacco industry—in terms of revenue from taxation or whether the country grows tobacco or exports it,” says Shapiro. “If state regulation is sympathetic, then these products will find a way into the shops.”
The presence of the World Vape Show in Dubai, starting in 2021, sent a message that these alternatives could be acceptable. I will be part of two panels at the 2024 Global Vape Forum, which accompanies this year’s Dubai vape expo. We will stress the need to save lives by moving people off combustible tobacco, whether through cessation or switching to reduced-risk products.
Getting doctors on board with harm reduction is another important step. Like their colleagues around the globe, Middle Eastern physicians frequently misperceive nicotine as the cause of cancer and other health risks of tobacco. Region-specific studies of doctors’ perceptions and needs are essential. I could locate only one small study. A 2019 Egyptian survey found that doctors were aware of e-cigarettes but viewed them less positively than their patients.
Cheryl K. Olson is a California-based public health researcher who specializes in behavioral health issues and consults on tobacco product behaviors via McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors. She spent 15 years on the faculty of Harvard Medical School.

References
Al-Hamdani M, Hopkins DB (2023). E-cigarettes in the Middle East: The known, unknown, and what needs to be known next. Preventive Medicine Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102089
Beaglehole R, Bonita R (2024). Harnessing tobacco harm reduction. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00140-5
Fouad H, Commar A, Hamadeh RR et al. Smoking prevalence in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 2020;26:1. www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-26-2020/volume-26-issue-1/smoking-prevalence-in-the-eastern-mediterranean-region.html
Nasser AMA, Geng Y, Al-Wesabi SA (2020). The prevalence of smoking (cigarette and waterpipe) among university students in some Arab countries: A systematic review. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. https://journal.waocp.org/article_88992.html
Samara F, Alam IA, ElSayed Y (2021). Midwakh: Assessment of levels of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nicotine in dokha tobacco smoke. Journal of Analytical Toxicology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkab012
Raj AT et al (2019). Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of smokeless tobacco products should include shammah. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/nty144
June 1, 2024
Late to the Game: Harm Reduction in the Middle East

Photo: Fertas
The Middle East lags behind other regions in limiting the risk of tobacco consumption.
By Stefanie Rossel
At the end of August, Chinese vape brand RELX officially launched in Saudi Arabia. After the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, the kingdom became the third country in the Gulf region where RELX International’s products are now available. The move also signaled the manufacturer’s intention to expand into the rest of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) this year. “The MENA region is one of our category’s fastest growing markets, growing at a rate just short of 10 percent until 2024,” Fouad Barakat, general manager at RELX International for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, commented on the launch. “Saudi Arabia is one of the region’s largest and most prosperous markets, hence the need for any brand to launch there if it wants to thrive and grow bigger.”
One of the reasons for expansion was the kingdom’s announcement of new regulations, similar to those set across Europe, following the standard setup for e-cigarette and heated-tobacco product (HTP) packaging and labeling, which was introduced in September 2020. With these plans, the country would be a forerunner in the region—few Middle Eastern countries have no regulation for cigarette alternatives in place. In fact, prohibition is the most common attitude in the Middle East when it comes to tobacco harm reduction (THR).
Often, the legal status of reduced-risk products (RRPs) is unclear: According to a list published by Vaping360 in October, vapor products are legal to use but illegal to sell in Egypt, which is alleged to be on the verge of regulating vaping production, Lebanon and Turkey, where the import of e-cigarettes is also banned. In Iran, Kuwait and Oman, e-cigarettes are merely believed to be legal to use but illegal to sell. Marija Obradovic, head legal analyst at ECigIntelligence, claims that vape products have remained forbidden in Oman since 2015 and in Qatar since 2012, whereas Bahrain and Kuwait legalized them in 2016 followed by Jordan and the UAE in 2019. Vaping products are legal in Israel but banned in Syria.
Similar disparities prevail with other RRPs. According to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR), snus is allowed in Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE whereas HTPs are legal only in Israel, Syria and Turkey but are not marketed in Syria and Turkey. Instead, they are on sale in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE where laws for these products don’t exist yet.
Against this background, it is unsurprising that the adoption of alternatives to conventional cigarettes in the Middle East has lagged behind other regions. According to Euromonitor International, a mere 1.8 percent of smokers in the region had switched to RRPs in 2020, up from 1.4 percent in 2017. Adoption was even lower than in Asia-Pacific nations (4 percent) and Latin America (2.3 percent).
Smoking rates in the Middle East, however, remain among the highest globally. Jordan, for example, now has the world’s largest share of smokers in its population. With 66 percent of Jordanian men and more than 17 percent of women smoking, the country seems to even have surpassed Indonesia, a government study carried out in 2019 in collaboration with the World Health Organization found.

“At one level, it is up to manufacturers to produce affordable products, but there has to be a regulatory system including taxation levels that allows for the R&D finances to be recouped and for markets to be allowed to grow.”
Harry Shapiro, author of the GSTHR reports
Monopolies and Taxation
One reason for the failure of RRPs to make significant inroads is the fact that many Middle Eastern governments have financial stakes in their tobacco markets through state monopolies or shareholdings in tobacco companies. “There are four countries in the Middle East where the state owns 100 percent, one where the state owns over 50 percent and one over 30 percent of at least one tobacco company,” says Harry Shapiro, author of the GSTHR reports. “In Egypt, the state owns 51 percent, in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and Syria, 100 percent, and in Yemen, 34 percent. Within those countries, Lebanon adult smoking prevalence is very high at 42 percent. Others are much less, but clearly where you have a state-owned industry, the state is not going to welcome the importation of alternative products, which will threaten revenues even where there is a proven health benefit. It all comes down to money in the end. Politically, business and finance interests will always trump health.”
Of the world’s approximately 1.1 billion smokers, around 80 percent live in low-income and middle-income countries. Affordability of RRPs, or rather the lack of it, plays an important role, and this is also true for the Middle East, Shapiro adds. “This is a big issue, especially where you have a growing market in illegal cigarettes and no doubt centuries-old traditions in locally produced combustible tobacco products, which support the incomes of poorer people. At one level, it is up to manufacturers to produce affordable products, but there has to be a regulatory system including taxation levels that allows for the R&D finances to be recouped and for markets to be allowed to grow. The other problem for affordable products in an anti-THR climate is repetition of the tedious narrative that THR is all about boosting profits for Big Tobacco in a declining cigarette market.”
Vapor products are unlikely to become more affordable in the Middle East soon. “Countries are quick to introduce specific taxes on e-cigarettes even before regulating the product itself,” observed Obradovic as she compared regulatory pathways in Eurasia and the Middle East in a webinar in April. Kuwait taxes e-liquids with or without nicotine at 100 percent of the sales price; Saudi Arabia and the UAE have introduced a 100 percent excise on liquids with or without nicotine and on devices. With a 200 percent tax on both nicotine-containing and non-nicotine-containing liquids as well as devices, Jordan has taken taxation of RRPs to the extreme. “Although e-cigarettes are nominally allowed, this makes it completely unfeasible to operate,” Obradovic said.
Like the makers of RELX vape products, Shapiro nevertheless remains optimistic about the future adoption of reduced-risk products in the Middle East. “My understanding is that the market for safer nicotine products is growing as it is in many parts of the world. My guess would be that the market would grow fastest among the more well-off in society and among younger smokers who should be encouraged to switch. All the evidence shows that if you can switch away from smoking by the age of 35, you can reverse much of the damage caused by previous years of smoking.”
Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.

November 22, 2021
PMI spreading the word
Philip Morris International says it is taking to the Middle East and Africa its call to the creative, media and communications communities to go smoke-free.
‘We started our push at the Cannes Festival of Creativity, where we asked creative agencies to join PMI in making the world smoke-free’, the company said in a press note posted on its website. ‘We are continuing our efforts to find partners with a presence at the Middle East and Africa’s biggest gathering of creative agencies, the Loeries Creative Week.
‘Our lounge at the event is an interactive educational area raising awareness on the role that science, innovation, and technology can play for people who smoke, and informing on PMI’s efforts to replace cigarettes with less harmful alternatives.’
PMI reported that a number of agencies had signed up already, including the first group in Africa, Publicis Groupe Africa.
‘We are asking creative agencies from the Middle East and Africa to join their peers in going smoke-free,’ the note said. ‘To help them understand our commitment, PMI will provide education on the fact that quitting tobacco and nicotine remains the best option for those who smoke, but that for those smokers who would continue, a range of smoke-free alternatives now exist.’
“There is a large opportunity in the Middle East and Africa to leverage innovation and science for those who smoke and the people around them,” said senior vice president global communications Marian Salzman. “We’re asking the creative community based in the region and elsewhere to join us in raising awareness around this important initiative.”
Meanwhile, Drago Azinovic, president of PMI’s Middle East, Africa, and Duty-Free operations, said the company’s vision for the world and for the Middle East and Africa is for all people who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch instead to less harmful alternatives. “Joining forces with the creative community in the region can help make this important objective happen faster,” Azinovic said.
The CEO of Publicis Groupe Africa, John Dixon, said his company was proud to be the first agency network in Africa to commit to a smoke-free future and was aligned with PMI’s bold ambition of a smoke-free world. “Our 14 agencies across two regions will support the cause,” he said.
Agencies that are interested in taking part should contact Marian Salzman at marian.salzman@pmi.com.
August 24, 2018
Old School, Modern Market

Photo: Medwakh
A traditional Arabic tobacco that has been cultivated and smoked in the Middle East for more than half a century, dokha is making a global comeback.
By Timothy S. Donahue
Its origins are as mysterious as the Middle East itself. Some claim coastal Arabs invented both the small pipe, called a medwakh, as well as the traditional dokha tobacco smoked in it. The Iranians, who occupy modern-day Persia, believe they were the first to use the pipes and the original herbal (nontobacco) smoking mix. The truth is, it’s hard to say where dokha got its start, as dokha has never really been sold commercially until the past two centuries.
“People used to grow dokha for their own consumption and smoke it through the bones of small animals,” says Behzod Jamolov, business development executive for the Bin Khumery Group (BKG) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “However, dokha only began to be considered a trade item about 200 years ago in the territory of the country that is now called Oman.”
By most accounts, dokha originated in the Gilaki area of northern Iran in the 1400s or earlier. The medwakh was ideal for sailors to use while at sea, and the pipe gradually made its way up and down the Caspian Sea. As tobacco was introduced into the Middle East in the 1500s, the Iranian nontobacco smoking mixture was fortified and eventually replaced with various blends of dokha tobacco.
During the next few hundred years, the Ottoman Empire attempted to outlaw tobacco smoking, which ironically increased the popularity of dokha tobacco and the use of the medwakh among Arabs. The small, inexpensive pipe and potent, easily cured dokha tobacco became the ideal covert smoking method. Strong spices conceal the smell of the tobacco. Such a small amount is smoked at a time that very little secondhand smoke is produced, allowing users to avoid unwanted attention. In an emergency, the inexpensive pipe and small amount of tobacco could simply be dropped and walked away from without incurring much loss.
As the prevailing views on tobacco gradually relaxed, hookah smoking became the preferred method for consumption in the Middle East. The popularity of dokha waned, except with the sailors who found it impractical to smoke a hookah at sea. The medwakh and dokha also remained popular in the coastal areas where the sailors traded and eventually settled. This is why these days dokha is found almost exclusively in the UAE, home to the Middle Eastern sea trade and Arab sailors for the past 1,500 years or more.
Today’s dokha is 100 percent tobacco, with no chemical additives, preservatives, pesticides or herbicides, according to Bassem Chahine, owner of the U.S.-based Medwakh.com, the first company to bring the ancient smoke to the Americas.

Dokha is a Nicotiana rustica strain found only in the Middle East Gulf region (Photo: BKG)
A unique blend
Dokha is a Nicotiana rustica strain found only in the Middle East Gulf region. It is extremely high in nicotine. Dokha is not harvested and cured like Virginia tobaccos, but is instead cut, transported, set to dry in the sun and processed into various blends—all in a span of mere days, or, at most, weeks, according to Chahine. “This expedited process is possible, of course, because dokha is cured and processed in areas where the daily temperature can easily reach over 135 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of less than 7 percent,” he says. “This proprietary drying process arrests any fermentation, freezes ammonia levels and is what imparts the unique dokha flavor and the major laf raas [literally: head spin] to dokha tobacco.”
Unlike hookah tobacco, dokha is not cured with molasses or honey. Behzod says cultivation is a time- and effort-consuming process. “Dokha seeds are planted into the high-quality field that is irrigated with only fresh water,” he says. “It’s an annual crop, which is usually harvested by hand.”
According to Behzod, dokha was previously made of one type of tobacco that was separated into cold and hot categories. Now, however, BKG is using more than five types of tobaccos from its plantations in Oman, Iran and the UAE. “All these tobaccos were grown under different sunlight conditions that make the flavor of the particular blend unique. Also, when tobacco is grown, there are top leaves that gain more sunlight and middle and bottom leaves that gain less sunlight, each of them are separated and used for a particular flavor,” he says. “As result, we are gaining more than 50 blends of dokha.”
Dokha comes in two types, the traditional nonflavored and the modern flavored blends. The flavored blends fall into two general categories, savory and sweet/fruit. The traditional flavored dokha blends are mostly savory, though they are flavored lightly with a wide variety of spices, herbs and dried flowers—all used to enhance the very distinct flavors and notes of the different dokha tobaccos. The more modern, flavored dokha blends are patterned after hookah tobacco and are heavily flavored with fruit, mint or clove to cloak the actual tobacco taste and soften the harshness.
Dokha comes in hundreds of strengths, flavors and brand names. The most commonly available strengths are barid, daffi and har—cold, warm and hot, respectively. Many vendors also offer moderating strengths in these three ranges, such as “over-cold” or “extra-hot.” These designations refer to the harshness of the tobacco, not necessarily the level of buzz a blend may impart.
The buzz is what makes dokha special. The tobacco gives users a stimulating and comforting laf raas when smoked. The high is impacted by the blend of the tobacco, says Chahine. Generally speaking, the harsher (warmer) a blend, the more buzz it may impart, but there are many warm and over-warm blends that are specifically developed to give the user a maximum effect. “One puff of dokha is more than enough to satisfy a consumer, unlike other types of tobacco where a gram or more of tobacco is needed,” he says.
The bowl of a medwakh is much smaller than that of a traditional Western tobacco pipe. Consumers usually fill it by dipping the pipe into the container of dokha and slowly spinning it until loaded. The pipes are made of various materials such as wood, bone, base metal, marble, steel, gold, silver, plastic or glass. A medwakh holds about a fingernail’s worth of tobacco—all that’s needed for each session. “Most people smoke less than 10 grams of dokha [the equivalent of four tobacco cigarettes] per week,” says Chahine. “The average Western cigarette smoker consumes about 15 cigarettes per day.”

Photo: Medwakh
Traveling abroad
Smoking dokha outside the Middle East was a rarity until the 21st century. BKG was established in 1987 by a small farmer with a strong desire to provide the highest-quality dokha. At the time, it was a small shop with only few blends of dokha and some wooden pipes. The company now has almost 200 employees. In 2003, BKG began selling dokha on the international market. Following a surge in dokha demand within the UAE, the company expanded by setting up divisions in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Europe and the U.S.
“We used to sell our dokha to a few companies who packed them under their brand with the writing Bin Khumery dokha,” says Behzod. “After a certain period of time, we noticed that some of those companies were selling product that was not the one we were sending them; they were mixing some very low-quality dokha and selling it with our name, thereby damaging our reputation. As a result, we came up with idea of Turbo, the best-quality dokha on the market and always consistently the same. The Turbo brand consists of 19 blends of dokha, four types of medwakh, five types of filters and two types of pipe cleaner.”
In 2006, after Chahine’s father brought his family to the U.S. from the UAE, he soon realized there was no reliable source of dokha in his adopted home country. While operating a hookah lounge, Chahine began to notice how Arab students would share and smoke any dokha they somehow had managed to bring from their homeland. Alert to opportunity, Chahine traded an old Playstation game console with a friend in the UAE for three 1.5-liter bottles of dokha.
In November of 2009, Medwakh.com went online, becoming the first company to establish a legitimate online presence for dokha sales. “Within three minutes of going live, we made our first sale,” says Chahine. “We were floored.” The success of Medwakh.com has snowballed from there.
The company started with three types of unflavored dokha and today imports and manufactures more than 200 types and flavors under three different brand names: Medwakh.com, Nirvana Dokha and Something Girlie Dokha. “Having seen how popular dokha was when anyone had any to share in our hookah lounge and how interested our American customers were in it, I was absolutely sure there was a market for it here,” says Chahine. “My family has been involved, one way or another, in the tobacco business in the Middle East for at least five generations.”
Having that family history, and growing up in the UAE, eventually allowed Chahine to secure a reliable supplier. The company now buys its dokha directly from farms in the UAE and Oman through annual contracts.
Behzod says the demand for dokha in the international market is gradually growing, but BKG is focused mainly on the Middle East and some European countries at the moment. “However, we are ready to supply countries that are interested in our products. It is vital for us to grow organically to sustain the unique quality of the product,” he says.
Over the last few years, dokha has exploded onto the U.S. market, says Chahine. When the company started, its employees kept track of geographical sales by pinning pins onto a map. They quickly ran out of space though; within 18 months, the company had sold to all 50 U.S. states, 70 countries and six of the seven continents. To date, the company has sent dokha to more than 125 countries. Medwakh.com sold a little more than $300,000 worth of product in 2010. In 2014, the company expects to easily exceed $3 million in gross sales.
“We’ve been concentrating on building a wholesale/distribution network for the last year or so, and I’ve been advised that we will double our 2014 sales in 2015,” says Chahine. “In 2010, I worked out of half of an office in my house and literally did everything myself. Today, we have 28 extremely dedicated employees, a 3,500-square-foot warehouse, a shipping and manufacturing facility, a corporate office with a phone-sales staff, a half dozen proprietary retail outlets, 45,000 unique online retail customers and over 500 wholesale/distribution customers. We will import between 2,500 and 3,000 kilos of raw dokha this year.”
In contrast, Behzod said that BKG could not disclose its financials, although he assured Tobacco Reporter that BKG is the largest dokha producer in the UAE, as well as in the world. “We are a family that is built of competent and dedicated employees with the skills to maintain the quality of the products, dynamic growth and corporate culture of the company,” said Behzod. “Our Turbo dokha is a combination of traditional farming skills and unique blending technologies that allows us to produce a superior product for the UAE and the international market.”
Medwakh.com says it is now the world’s largest online supplier of dokha, and by the end of 2015, Chahine says the company will be the world’s largest dokha supplier overall. “All it takes is for someone to whip out their medwakh at a public event and light a bowl of dokha, and a crowd of people will soon gather and ask, ‘What’s that?’ and the all-important, ‘Where do you get it?’” says Chahine. “By the end of the summer, we’ll have distributors in the U.K., Germany, Russia, Argentina, Norway, Ukraine, Turkey, and who knows who’ll be calling tomorrow.”
Timothy Donahue is the assistant editor of Tobacco Reporter. Since joining our team in January 2013, he has become not only an expert on the traditional tobacco business but also a well-respected voice in the rapidly developing vapor industry. Tim spends much of his time on the road, attending conferences and interviewing industry representatives. His networking skills, work ethic and quick mind are valuable assets to our diverse audience.

August 1, 2014