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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A draft law on combating smoking and imposing additional taxes on tobacco products will be presented for voting in the Iraqi parliament, the head of the legislature's health and environment committee told Rudaw on Wednesday.
'We are in the final drafting stage of the law on combating smoking and protecting society from its damages,' Majid Shingali said, adding that they will share the final draft with experts for 'legal and linguistic review' soon as a preparation to discuss it in next week's session.
The 21-provision draft law has been passed through the first and second reading, making it ready for the final vote.
If passed, the law will impose a tax of 500 Iraqi dinars (around $0.38) on each imported pack of 20 cigarettes. It will also prohibit smoking in public places, with violators facing a fine of 50,000 Iraqi dinars (around $38.20). Additionally, individuals who sell tobacco products - including hookah materials, electronic cigarettes, and vapes - to minors will be subject to a prison sentence of no less than six months or a fine ranging from 250,000 (around $190) to 500,000 Iraqi dinars (around $382).
Dara Sekaniani, a member of the Iraqi parliament's legal committee, expressed pessimism regarding the passage of the draft law, saying that the legislative product was initially enacted in 2012.
'I have never heard of anyone being punished for smoking,' Sekaniani said. 'The government is not serious with its execution [anti-smoking law] and the citizens are not committed to implement it.'
Similarly, the Kurdistan Region parliament enacted an anti-smoking law in 2007 that banned smoking in public places and fined people breaking the law. Nevertheless, the law remained unenforced.
Smoking is highly prevalent in Iraq, with smoking prevalence for people 15 years of age and above reaching 18.6 percent, and 9.5 percent for youth aging 10 to 14 years in 2022, according to the Tobacco Atlas, a World Health Organization (WHO)-recognized global public health initiative providing data-driven insights on tobacco control.
Tobacco Atlas also estimated that more than 27,000 people die from smoking in Iraq each year.
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