Lebanon bans indoor smoking and tobacco advertising

Lebanon’s Parliament Wednesday endorsed a law banning smoking in all enclosed public places, including restaurants, bars, cafes and offices.

The law was presented for vote with an amendment that would fine owners of businesses if they fail to implement the smoking ban and will also fine individuals who violate the ban. (more…)

Women banned from smoking water pipes by Hamas

Gaza’s Hamas rulers have banned women from smoking water pipes in cafes, calling it a practice that destroys marriages and sullies the image of the Palestinian people.

The ban marks the Islamist militant group’s latest effort to impose their harsh Muslim lifestyle in the seaside strip on an often resistant public.
While Muslim law does not technically ban women from smoking the traditional tobacco-infused pipes, Argeeleh in arabic, tradition frowns upon the habit. Hamas frequently mixes its strict interpretation of Islamic law with conservative Gaza tradition, and over the weekend, the two dovetailed to produce the smoking ban. (more…)

Activists call for a smoking ban in Lebanon

A woman walks past Lebanese environmental activists displaying banners as they stand outside the offices of Philip Morris in Beirut. The project was organized by the League of Independent Activists (IndyACT) and it calls for a law to ban smoking in public places. (more…)

New draft law bans smoking in public places in Lebanon

The Lebanese Administration and Justice Commission approved a draft law banning all advertisements that promote tobacco products in Lebanon.
The commission also approved banning smoking in public places, especially indoors , adding it also approved placing a label, which covers almost half of any cigarette pack, to warn against smoking.
The commission meeting was chaired by MP Robert Ghanem, and attended by Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh . Now Lebanon

Movement to ban public smoking grows in Lebanon

Though still in its early days, there’s a robust movement growing in Lebanon to ban smoking in public places. The measure would follow a similar ban in Turkey and Syria, and a law in Jordan still being implemented, (more…)