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Taroudant- Rachida El Mokrie Al idrissi, head of the National Coalition for the Fight Against Drugs, said on Wednesday that there are “about 7 million smokers in the kingdom which represent one fifth of the population,” with children making up half a million of these.
Speaking at a press seminar held Wednesday evening in Rabat, Al Idrissi brought attention to the increasing number of smokers and the smoking legislation in Morocco.
Al Idrissi declared that the coalition would raise a note to the relevant bodies including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, and the Head of Government regarding a smoking law that is not applied.
The head of the Coalition revealed that there is a significant legislative vacuum in regards to the electronic cigarette, the issue of preventing the sale of cigarettes to minors and around educational institutions, as well as the fact that the Law 91-15 has never been applied so far since its release in the Official Gazette in 1996, to the delight of smokers.
Al idrissi called for the necessity to activate the law prohibiting smoking in public places, and also suggested banning cigarette advertisements.
To the dismay of victims of passive smoking, the law is not widely implemented. When it is, the fine set by the legislators is very low, argues Al Idrissi.
Surprisingly, the penalties of the law range from 10 to 50 dirhams for "anyone who smokes tobacco or tobacco products in places where smoking is prohibited."
The term “public places” refers to cafes, restaurants, public administration offices, meeting rooms, public means of transport, the theaters and cinema, classrooms, conferences, and of course, hospitals and clinics.
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