No editorial checks on this article yet

This article is not approvedThe content of this article is not verified by the editorial team of Africanews.com. Read our editorial requirements to see the criteria we use to decide if we publish an article on the homepage of Africanews.

Morocco Celebrates International Day without Tobacco

  1. Posted on Wednesday 3 June 2009 - 05:17
    Addou
    Image of Addou
    Morocco celebrated last Sunday the 31st of May the International day without Tobacco. This event has a particular dimension in Morocco especially that the Moroccan government is preparing a law prohibiting smoking in public places and the sale of cigarettes to minors less than 18 years.

    The measures are then merciless against those who dare to deride the law. Smoking a cigarette in a public place will incur a fine of 100 dirham ,11 Euros and double that for a repeat offence. The penalty will rise to 500 dirham about 55 Euros for those in charge of public places who themselves break the law. Fines of up to 10,000 dirhams,1000 Euros, will also be incurred by cigarette manufacturers if packs fail to carry health warnings.

    Meanwhile the sale of cigarettes to minors is also prohibited and punishable by a fine of 2000 dirham, 200 Euros and in case of recurrence 5000 dirham, 500 Euros with the possibility of withdrawal of license for the office of tobacco is the sentence reserved to those who are guilty of having not respected the dispositions of the law. Half the collected fines will be paid to the associations to educate citizens in harm of smoking.

    Morocco is one of the largest tobacco-consuming countries throughout the Mediterranean region with more than 15 billion cigarettes smoked every year, According to a survey by the Moroccan Ministry of Health, about 35% of men over age 20 are smokers. Another survey has shown that over 15% of schoolchildren between 13 and 15 years of age are smokers. The age at which they begin varies, with almost 13% starting by the age of 15.

    Several studies showed the close link between tobacco and the emergence of certain serious and chronic illnesses such as cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Each year smoking kills 8 million people in the world.

Latest News

  1. AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02Following a deadlock during Monday's African Union elections, with a tie between former wife to South African president Jacob Zuma, Home Affairs …
  2. Senegal in turmoil as protest intensifies01/02Hundreds of anti-government protesters Tuesday gathered in the central Dakar, Senegal to show their dissatisfaction over the incumbent president Abdou…
  3. Zimbabwe’s inflation still favourable -…01/02Zimbabwe's annual headline inflation still compared favourably with economies in the region, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono said o…
  4. AFCON 2012: Sudan qualifies after four decades31/01The Sudanese national team has sealed a historic win over the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
  5. Senegalese opposition to intensify protests31/01Opposition and civil society groups in Senegal have vowed to increase their fight against incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade's presidential bid.
  6. Malawi: Rights coalition condemn stripping of…30/01The 39 members of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights Coalition based in 18 African countries have vehemently condemned the stripping of wo…
  7. Kenya to deworm five million children annually30/01Kenya launched the second phase of its national deworming programme at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012, aiming to treat 5 million childre…
  8. Benin’s Yayi Boni is AU’s new…30/01President Yayi Boni of Benin Republic has been elected chairperson of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
  9. Clashes in Senegal as Wade seek third term30/01Clashes have erupted in Senegal's capital Dakar and several other city cities ; after the Constitutional Council said President Abdoulaye Wade co…
  10. Africa Union’s top posts tightly…27/01All eyes are on the 18th African Union (AU) Summit that is currently underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia until the 30th of January 2012.
  11. Gambia's leader pulls out of AU presidenc…27/01Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has pulled out of the race for the presidency of the African Union's Assembly.
  12. NIGERIA: Chadians among Kano attackers26/01Nigerian police said people speaking a Chadian language were among the attackers who waged bombing and shooting sprees in Kano last Friday, killing a …
  13. Kenya’s finance minister resigns26/01Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Uhuru Kenyatta has resigned on Thursday together with the Secretary to the Cabinet and head of t…
  14. Malawi losing $28m in fisheries resources26/01Malawi is losing $28 million (about MK4.6 billion) worth of fisheries resources each year due to unsustainable fishing in natural bodies.
  15. Nigeria’s president appoints new police…26/01Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan has appointed the assistant inspector general of police Mohammed Dikko Abubakar as acting inspector general…
News archive