CAIRO: Instead of deterring smokers, the new set of warning pictures printed on cigarette packs are driving up the sales of metal cigarette boxes, Ibrahim El Embaby, head of the Tobacco Industry Division of the Industries Union, told local press. According to the new tobacco law, which was approved by the People's Assembly (PA) last June, a detailed health warning has to cover 50 percent of the pack on both sides. In addition to warning labels, cigarette packs now feature pictures explaining the side effects of smoking: a dying man in an oxygen mask, and a limp cigarette in reference to impotence, among others. In addition, all forms of tobacco advertising are prohibited, and a 10 percent increase is added to the price of cigarettes. The law also bans smoking in health and educational institutions, youth centers, legislative associations and all governmental authorities and clubs. The organization in which the violation takes place is to pay a fine between LE 1,000 and LE 50,000 while the person who is caught smoking will be fined from LE 50 to LE 100. However, numbers show that the law is ineffective. "For the manufacturers, pictures and warning labels on packs are nothing but a routine procedure and will not make their consumer quit smoking because it's the ingredients of the cigarettes, like nicotine, which are addictive, said Mahmoud Aoshb, a economics expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. "The Ministry of Health has to step in with intensive awareness campaigns in order to get Egyptians to quit smoking, he added. According to a report released by the Health Committee at the PA, Egyptians smoke 19 billion cigarettes a year, spending LE 3 billion annually, and smokers in Egypt increase by 6 to 9 percent every year as compared to one percent in the West. Kiosks on street corners are the most popular places for Egyptians to buy cigarettes and their sales haven't been affected by the new tobacco law. "The amount of cigarette packs I'm selling now decreased a bit but not because of a new law or anything, it's because the schools around me are out on summer vacation and this happens every year, everything will go back to normal in September, said Saber, who owns a kiosk in Triumph Square in Heliopolis. According to Dr Wael Safwat, a gastroenterologist and smoking cessation specialist, prices and warning signs alone will not affect cigarette sales; there needs to be a change in the society's perception of the smoker in order to decrease the level of smokers. Non-smoking areas need to increase and campaigns and groups helping smokers quit should be there to give assistance. "Smokers continue smoking despite all the warnings you give them because of two things: first, it is addictive and second there is the psychological aspect to it as people, especially in Egypt, perceive smoking as a relaxing activity and if they quit smoking then they'll have problems, he said. This, however, hasn't left the local tobacco industry trouble free. El Embaby explained that the price of tobacco has gone up by some 80 to 100 percent during the past few weeks. A ton of tobacco used to cost between LE 100 to LE 280, according to its purity level, with an additional tax of LE 220 per ton. Some types of tobacco cost LE 440 without the tax. In addition, tobacco exports, especially water pipe tobacco, have gone down due to the tight regulations in some Arab markets and the introduction of new competitors from Dubai and Jordan in the market. "Sixty-three tobacco factories in Egypt are working quarter their production capability due to the increase of tobacco prices, said El Embaby.
