[Intl-tobacco] Iran: Draft Bill on Tobacco to Be Presented to Majlis

[Robert Weissman]

Draft Bill on Tobacco to Be Presented to Majlis

by TEHRAN TIMES CITY DESK
IRAN;
Source: Tehran Times, 2001-12-18TEHRAN--A draft bill on the control
of tobacco products will be presented to Majlis in the near
future.

According to the bill, the sale of tobacco to people under the age
of eighteen should become illegal, and no subsidies should be
granted to the tobacco industry.

In addition, heavy taxes will be imposed on them and severe measures
will be taken against cigarette smuggling.

A member of the State Committee Against the Use of Tobacco has said,
"According to the statistics from the year 1372 [1993-4] , 14.6
percent of the population between the ages of 15 and 69 smoke
cigarettes. Of these, 27.2 percent of men and 3.4 percent of women
were regular smokers."

Mr. Azadi added that the main problem was that the majority of
smokers are between the ages of 15 and 29 and at the moment 40
million Iranians are younger than 29 years old.

He continued, "The first cigarette is usually smoked at the age of
14 and if we do not take necessary measures major social problems
will be created.

"If a person smokes just one cigarette a day, he or she is
considered a smoker.

"The tobacco industry influences society in several ways, one of
which is creating employment opportunities. However, the development
of the tobacco industry can not be considered to be societal
development."

Azadi suggested that even if the tobacco industry generates 50
thousand new jobs, it is still responsible for 20 million future
cases of heart disease and lung cancer.