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July 30th, 2012:

Saudi Arabia bans smoking in most public places – Wire World News – The Sacramento Bee

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/30/4673310/saudi-arabia-bans-smoking-in-most.
html

Saudi Arabia bans smoking in most public places
The Associated Press
Published: Monday, Jul. 30, 2012 – 2:47 am

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia has banned smoking in government
offices and most public places, including restaurants, coffee shops,
supermarkets and shopping malls.

The ban includes smoking of water-pipes, or shishas, and prohibits selling
tobacco to those under the age of 18.

The official SPA news agency says Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin
Abdulaziz has ordered that a royal ban on smoking be implemented as of
Monday. He is cited as saying that Islam urges the preservation of public
health.

The ban is a significant step-up in the kingdom’s anti-smoking campaign.
Saudi Arabia banned smoking in its airports last year.

Saudi statistics say the country is the world’s fourth largest importer of
tobacco and that six million Saudis spend about 30 million Saudi riyals
(about $8 million) a day on cigarettes

Read more here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/30/4673310/saudi-arabia-bans-smoking-in-most.
html#storylink=cpy