Healthcare

Smoking is killing Iraq

Discover the alarming impact of smoking in Iraq, where a smoker dies every 20 minutes. Learn about the staggering costs and consumption rates associated with cigarettes in the country. Find out why some argue that the current smoking law needs to be updated to ensure public health in Saudi Arabia. Explore the restrictions on smoking in enclosed spaces and the global consequences of tobacco use, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Medriva Newsroom

24 Dec 2022 03:02 EST

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According to an Iraqi health official, a smoker dies every 20 minutes. According to Abbas Jabbar Sahib, head of the Ministry of Health's tobacco control branch, the estimate comes from the WHO.

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Cigarettes cost an estimated $1,367,000 a day in Iraq, according to the country's government. The Tobacco Atlas estimates that the average Iraqi smoker consumes 1,243 cigarettes per year.

This law, according to Riyadh Al-Hilfi, is outdated and has to be reworked in order to protect the public health of Saudi Arabia.

Indoors and on public transportation, smoking is prohibited. In the minds of smokers, the law is almost absent because smoking is widely tolerated. Ten thousand Iraqi dinars (approximately $7) is the penalty for smoking in an enclosed place.

Tobacco products cannot be advertised, sponsored, or promoted in any way. Approximately eight million people die each year. Smoking causes cancer and cardiovascular disease and kills 8 million people per year, according to the WHO. 80 percent of the world's 1.3 billion smokers reside in countries with less developed economies.

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