Dubai - Pictorial warnings on all other tobacco products have been in place since 2012.
Published: Wed 30 May 2018, 11:11 PM
Last updated: Thu 31 May 2018, 1:16 AM
People in the UAE will now only be able to buy limited amounts of dokha, while all products will also carry pictorial warnings, according to new standards approved by the National Tobacco Control Programme under the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP).
The new standards have been developed by the Emirates Metrology and Standardisation Authority (Esma) and approved by the ministry. Pictorial warnings on all other tobacco products have been in place since 2012.
"These regulations for dokha should be in place by the end of the year," Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, director of Primary Healthcare Centre & National Programme of Tobacco Control, told Khaleej Times ahead of World No Tobacco Day that is marked each year on May 31.
A draft of standards and specifications for e-cigarettes is also ready with Esma but is still pending approval.
Dr Wedad said that under the new regulations, dokha now cannot be bottled and refilled or manufactured at home or in shops. "These new standards are being put in place to control the unlimited use of dokha which is a growing in popularity among the youth," she said.
Results from a health screenings study done in Abu Dhabi in 2016 showed that almost 30 per cent of Emiratis in their thirties smoked medwakh.
Dokha is a traditional form of Arabic tobacco. After laws governing the sale of cigarettes and shisha were tightened in 2012, with shops facing hefty fines if they sold to those under 18, many youngsters turned to smoking dokha.
Selling medwakh and dokha to minors is also illegal. However, dokha is cheaper compared to cigarettes and can be bought for anywhere between Dh25-Dh40, and pipes for Dh50.
Every year, on May 31, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting health and other risks associated with tobacco use, and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. This year, World No Tobacco Day focuses on tobacco and heart disease. The campaign's slogan is "Tobacco breaks hearts. Choose health, not tobacco".
Smoking cessation clinics in hospitals
"This year's theme is heart disease and smoking which are closely linked so we decided to set up smoking cessation clinics within hospitals where patients of heart and other chronic diseases can have easy access," said Dr Wedad.
The first such clinic has already been set up in Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah.
She also said that to mark the day, the ministry will hold awareness campaigns especially on social media by putting out warning messages for the community.
Talking about use of shisha in Ramadan tents, Dr Wedad said that each emirate should implement the law strictly. "This year, Ajman has stopped shisha smoking in Ramadan tents," she added.
Dr Wedad also said that the ministry's idea to ask the community members to report people violating the No Tobacco Law was still being implemented.
"We do not have the capacity yet to put up a system to take all calls from the public, however, people can call up municipalities in their emirates and report any violations," she added.
Meanwhile, the ministry has also conducted a National Health Survey on smoking among adults in the country and is awaiting the results.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com
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