Anti-Smoking Ban Divides Online Community

SMN, May 24, 2010

A recent ban on smoking in public areas and restaurants has sparked a mixed reaction among the Syrian online community.

On the social network site Facebook, Syrian users have created groups both for and against the new law, which started being enforced in April.

Under its provisions, smoking is forbidden in Syria in all public places including restaurants and cafés. The fine for breaking the law is up to 100,000 Syrian pounds (about 2,000 US dollars).

One Facebook group, called “Thank you for the no smoking law”, hailed the decision and has attracted around 4,500 members, far more than the groups against the smoking ban.

Many members thought that the decision would improve health in the country. One wrote, “Finally I can go to restaurants without suffocating from the fumes of narghiles [water pipes].”

Another described the decision as “wise” and said people should cooperate with the government to help its implementation.

A third said that although people find smoking to be “cool”, in reality it “stains your teeth and fingers, it makes your breath stink and the smell lingers on your clothes and hair”.

Some Facebook users raised doubts whether the decision would be fully implemented because of corruption, “I was walking by the beach at Latakia and I saw some cafés and restaurants crowded with people smoking. However, those that had respected the [ban on smoking] decision were empty.”

Meanwhile, other groups opposed the new anti-smoking law. The largest one, “No to the anti-smoking law in Syria”, has around 470 members.

“Smokers everywhere… Unite,” says the group description.

Some members of the group called on the Syrian authorities to respect their right to smoke.

Others mocked the ban, arguing that the government had more important problems to deal with.

“The exhaust of cars and buses on Syrian streets is more harmful than cigarettes,” said one post.

Another said, “If the government really cares about its citizens, it should first fix the education system, pay attention to the poor, fight corruption and unemployment etc…”

One member said that the imposition of the smoking ban was too hasty and argued that other, gradual steps would have been better, like awareness campaigns and making cigarettes more expensive.

The question of the effectiveness of the decision was also raised. One member suggested that restaurants and coffee shop owners would soon resort to bribes to avoid enforcing the smoking ban.

Some posts expressed concerns about the economic repercussions of the decision.

“Eighty per cent of Syrians are smokers; this decision will cause half the restaurants and cafés to close their doors,” said one post.

The General Organisation for Tobacco, the official body responsible for producing and distributing tobacco in Syria, said in 2009 that Syrians spend about 26 billion pounds (about 600 million dollars) yearly on smoking, according to a study published by the state-run news agency SANA.

Another group rallied 250 members against the smoking ban under the name “assembly against anti-smokers”.