Article 11 of the Saudi Anti-Smoking Law
المادة 11 من نظام مكافحة التدخين
The article requires the government bodies responsible for Islamic affairs, education, media, sports, health and social affairs to run continuous anti-smoking awareness programs and urge the private sector to take part.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على كل الجهات الحكومية المسؤولة عن الشؤون الإسلامية، والتعليم، والإعلام، والرياضة، والصحة، والشؤون الاجتماعية، عمل برامج توعية لمكافحة التدخين بشكل مستمر وبطريقة فعالة ومبتكرة، وحث القطاع الأهلي للمشاركة في هذه البرامج.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 11 explained in plain English
This article moves the fight against smoking from prohibition and punishment to awareness. It obliges the government bodies responsible for six fields:
- Islamic affairs.
- Education.
- Media.
- Sports.
- Health.
- Social affairs.
The obligation imposed on them is to run anti-smoking awareness programs, with three qualities set by the text: they must be continuous, not seasonal; effective; and carried out in an innovative way. In addition there is the duty to urge the private sector to take part in these programs.
This article complements Article 10, which prohibits advertising and promoting tobacco; while that article prohibits messages that encourage smoking, this article requires messages against it to be broadcast.
The article is directed at government bodies, not individuals, and does not specify the form, number or content of the programs, which is left to each body. It is followed by Article 12, which distributes responsibility for catching, recording and fining violations among government bodies, institutions and private-sector establishments, so the law combines the awareness side with the enforcement side.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 11 of the Saudi Anti-Smoking Law
Who is responsible for anti-smoking awareness?
The government bodies responsible for Islamic affairs, education, media, sports, health and social affairs.
Does the private sector have a role in awareness of the harms of smoking?
The article requires government bodies to urge the private sector to take part in awareness programs.
More articles on Ban on Tobacco Advertising and Public Awareness
- Article 10
The article prohibits advertising and promoting tobacco through any Saudi advertising or media outlet, and requires removal of tobacco-use scenes and anything encouraging smoking from material shown in Saudi Arabia.
1 - يمنع الإعلان والترويج للتبغ ومشتقاته بأي وسيلة من وسائل الإعلان أو الإعلام السعودية. 2 - تحذف مشاهد تعاطي التبغ ومشتقاته من الأفلام والمسلسلات والبرامج والم
- Article 18
The article allocates all fines collected under the Anti-Smoking Law to support awareness and encourage civil associations to combat smoking, through a bank account spent according to the Minister of Health's instructions.
تخصص جميع الغرامات المحصلة بموجب أحكام هذا النظام لدعم جهود التوعية وتشجيع الجمعيات الأهلية على مكافحة التدخين ونشرها على مستوى المملكة. وينشأ لهذا الغرض حساب ب
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.