Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008

Gulf News

Dubai: UAE tobacco laws are unlikely to be passed this year, two years after the initial intended deadline.

The Ministry of Health at first expected the country to have its first comprehensive tobacco-control laws by the end of 2006, in keeping with the UAE's commitment to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Federal National Council debates on the proposed legislation were slated for November 11 this year, but got delayed due to the summer holidays and Ramadan. Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, head of the National Tobacco Control Committee, told Gulf News the debate has now been delayed till further notice. "In November, they promised to discuss the law, but it did not happen because other issues came in the middle of (November) - the financial crisis," she said.

"We hope they will be able to discuss by the end of December, because we are waiting for that," she added.

However, chances that the debates will be held by the end of the month are slim as the UAE public sector enjoys a 10-day holiday to celebrate National Day and Eid Al Adha. The delay makes passing the law unlikely until next year as the next step is to submit it to the Cabinet for discussion before ratification by the UAE President.

Smoking in cars

Dr Wedad hoped the law would come out before March next year. "The FCTC meeting is in March, so we hope to show something (by then)," she said.

The tobacco-control law is expected to unify tobacco-control policies in the UAE. Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the northern emirates currently have different policies limiting tobacco use. Implementation of the laws, once they pass, will not occur immediately as the Ministry of Health will have to interpret the articles contained within the piece of legislation, especially those that overlap.

One issue Dr Wedad said would be contentious would be whether smoking should be allowed in cars while children are inside.

Although cars are considered a private place, the draft law also addresses protection of minors against second-hand smoke.

"The car is an enclosed area, but we think we can do something about it because other cities in the world have applied and it has worked," she said.

Do you smoke while driving with children? Would you welcome this move? Why? When in traffic, do motorists who smoke bother you?

© Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.

 

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