New Egypt Law Attempts to Cut Smoking

According to the Associated Press, Egypt is trying to reduce the smoking that happens in public. In Egypt smoking a water pipe and chain smoking while sipping a cup of tea is a common scene. The new laws being introduced into the country are getting mixed reactions from people.

Just in Egypt alone, an estimated 76 million people smoke cigarettes every year. Cigarette smoking is very common place in this country. You can find cigarette smokers almost everywhere you go. In restaurants, sections with signs that say "non smoking" are almost nowhere to be found. Smoking cafes are usually filled up and flow out of the café. The smell of fruit flavored tobacco can be found in the streets.

There are experts in the country, such as doctors and lawyers who want to change their country. Recent laws in Egypt that were just passed, no longer allow tobacco advertising or smoking in some of the public places there. Some of the new non smoking places include hospitals, government buildings, and schools.

With these new laws, health warning labels must be on cigarette packs, and the Egyptian government can increase the price of tobacco if they want to. In the United States, there were new laws that went effect that raised the price of cigarettes in two different states, Indiana and Tennessee. The new taxes have raised cigarette prices even higher in some U.S. locations, but in Egypt you can find a pack of Cleopatra cigs for 50 cents a pack.

One citizen named Mustafa Ahmed in Egypt said, according to the AP: "Smoking is popular in Egypt. There is a lot of pressure on people here, especially because the economy is bad. People smoke because they thin it will relax them." Mustafa said this with a cigarette in his hand outside of a downtown travel agency.

If a citizen in Egypt breaks the new law in the country, they can be fined as much as $17. A business or establishment that breaks the new law might expect to pay as much as $3,500. The new law is less strict like in some other countries. In some United States cities, smoking is prohibited in indoor public locations. This includes almost every café and eating establishment.

According to the AP, Sherif Omar who is a parliament member with Cairo University, when asked about the new smoking law, said "Law by themselves do not work well unless you have education in schools and in the media."

Sources
Anna Johnson "Egypt attempts to curb smoking in public"