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Hike or not, smokers will puff away, say people

Smokers are going to smoke whatever be the prices of the cigarettes, said a few Dubai residents. Commenting on the 200 per cent increase on cigarette packets, a few residents that Khaleej Times spoke with commonly opined that increasing the price of cigarettes will cut down the habit only to a small extent.

Sixty-three-year-old British tourist Roger Day said, “I do not smoke and I think smokers are going to smoke regardless of the price of cigarettes. The habit must be nipped in the bud. Younger generations must be educated on the hazards of smoking.”

Roger’s son, Tom Day (25), said: “Segregating smokers from non-smokers would help. Stop marketing them in supermarkets and keeping them out of the public eye is also an affective way of getting people to quit.”

Pakistani student Raheel Waheed said, “I am exposed to passive smoking through my father and though he understands the risks in smoking, he finds it hard to quit. It’s an addiction and smokers will be willing to spend whatever amount on cigarettes. Ban and fines can also reduce the habit among people.”

Another student Hiba Ahmed said, “No, I do not smoke. It is slow suicide; once you get addicted to it, you cannot stop. The increase in prices does help to a small extent, but it cannot cut the habit among people completely. See, if you were to charge people Dh50 for a packet, then smokers might seriously consider leaving the habit all together.”

Jordanian national Bilal Hussain said: “I have been smoking for the last ten years and the increase in prices will not get me to quit. Even if a packet was priced at Dh1, I would consider quitting for the sake of my health, not because the cigarettes are too expensive.”

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com