The UAE has some of the lowest tobacco prices in the world, but this only encourages more people to smoke, say medical experts. They insist that only through raising prices will smokers be less inclined to light up. Making cigarettes less affordable could save thousands of lives.
ABU DHABI // Cigarettes in the UAE still cost as little as Dh3 per pack, although prices are slowly rising, according to the World Health Organisation.
The report by the WHO, which is calling for a hike in prices and taxation of cigarettes, found the most popular brand of cigarettes – not disclosed – retailed at Dh10 for a packet of 20, while cheaper brands could be bought for as little as Dh3.
“Prices are so, so low in the UAE,” said Dr Mohanad Diab, a consultant in medical oncology at Abu Dhabi’s NMC Specialty Hospital.
The WHO report found a packet was just a fraction of the cost of those in western countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, a packet of the most commonly sold cigarettes retailed at the sterling equivalent of Dh46.61 – almost five times as much as the UAE. Meanwhile, many popular brands in the UK retail at more than Dh50 for a pack of 20.
The cheapest brand in the UK costs Dh39.12, in Germany it was Dh23.80 and in the United States Dh8.63. But cigarettes in the UAE are becoming more expensive, the report found.
When a similar WHO study was carried out in 2012 the most popular brand of cigarettes retailed at Dh8. In 2010 a packet retailed at Dh7.
“The cheaper the cigarettes, the more accessible they are to all the community,” said Dr Shehnas Abu, a specialist pulmonologist at LLH Hospital.
This applied to all segments of society and age groups, she said.
“Anyone can afford it and that means more people smoke.”
Cigarettes should be sold at higher prices and packs should never sell for as little as Dh3, Dr Abu said.
“Raising the cost will reduce the number of smokers and the frequency with which people smoke. It is that simple.”
The cost of the most popular brand of cigarettes in the UAE was similar to prices in other GCC countries, but less than in Europe. Dr Bodi Saicharan, a specialist in respiratory medicine at Burjeel Hospital, Abu Dhabi, described the disparity as “worrying”.
“Without doubt, increases in prices will control the consumption in the country,” he said.
Raising tobacco prices by 10 per cent decreased tobacco consumption by about 4 per cent in high-income countries, and about 5 per cent in low and middle-income countries, according to the WHO.
“So you can imagine what you could achieve if you increased the price by 15 or 20 per cent,” Dr Saicharan said.
Dr Saicharan treats a lot of expatriate workers, especially from India and the Philippines, who suffer with tobacco-related illnesses. They smoke because they have access to cheap cigarettes and take advantage of the low prices, he said.
“Double the price of cigarettes. Then it will definitely deter them.”
The cheapest cigarettes in the world were found in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) where a packet of 20 could cost as little as 29 fils.
Dr Diab said he believed programmes in all UAE hospitals, to stop smoking, combined with support from insurance companies would help smokers to kick the habit.
Tobacco kills about 6 million people a year.
More than 5 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, while more than 600,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
More on tobacco use in the UAE:
■ More taxation needed to curb smoking, WHO report finds
■ Teach children deadly consequences of smoking at school, says specialist
jbell@thenational.ae
