All tobacco advertisements relating to Formula One can no longer be seen on billboards across Bahrain thanks to an anti-smoking campaign by health officials. The self-ban on billboards is an extremely significant development in light of a growing “epidemic” of smoking and its related ailments all over the world, said primary care and public health assistant under-secretary Dr Mariam Al Jalahma.
“This is a beginning and will go a long way in our ultimate goal of getting Bahrain to be a smoke-free nation, ” Dr Al Jalahma told the GDN. Among other things, once the new law is in place, all smokers caught violating the law will be fined between BD20 and BD50, while owners of an enclosed place that is not implementing it, will be fined between BD100 and BD500. “The proposed law stipulates that shisha in public gardens will not be allowed into any place that does not ban smoking, ” said Dr Al Jalahma. “We would, on the other hand, wish to stress that there are other programmes available to help smokers quit at several anti-smoking clinics run by the Health Ministry all over Bahrain, ” she said.
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