Smoking among young people in Lebanon: a worrying increase

While tobacco consumption among young people has been declining in Europe and North America for 20 years, there has been an increase in the practice in the Middle East.

Marked and early smoking

In 10 years, tobacco consumption has exploded in Lebanon, particularly among young users: 1 in 3 young people smoke, compared to 1 in 4 a decade ago. Between the ages of 13 and 15, 40% of them already smoke cigarettes or hookahs. The age at which smoking begins has also changed: from 13-14 years a few years ago, it has dropped to 11-12 years, making it particularly early.

The exhibition in question

One of the reasons that could explain this alarming finding is the exposure of young Lebanese to tobacco. Nearly 50,000 students are exposed to hookah smoke at home and in public spaces, and 70,000 are exposed to cigarettes in the same conditions. The WHO (World Health Organization) has already expressed concern about these figures and has even referred to them as "one of the greatest threats to public health."

Hookah, a cultural practice that is not without consequences

Warnings about the harmful effects of smoking never address hookah tobacco, a strong cultural element of the Lebanese population and even a tourist attraction. In 2009, of all young people who used tobacco, one-third smoked the water pipe, the hookah. Today, this figure has doubled, and the increase in consumption among girls is particularly strong.

Insufficient measures

As part of the anti-smoking campaign, a law was passed in 2011, but its impact on young people is nonexistent. While the packages do carry a warning about the risks associated with tobacco, the buyer's age is never checked upon sale. The price of a pack, at less than €2, also poses a problem. Unfortunately, every attempt to increase it is met with opposition from "the tobacco authority, whose revenue goes to the state, which subcontracts for major manufacturers around the world and supports 25,000 small producers in the country."

A Middle Eastern trend

Lebanon is not an isolated case. In Egypt, 7% of 13- to 15-year-olds smoked in 2009, 10% in 2014, and 15% today. The same observation can be made in Iraq. The WHO indicates that in some Eastern Mediterranean countries, the smoking rate can affect up to 40% of boys under 18, and 30% of girls.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[i] "Protecting young people from industry manipulation and protecting them from tobacco and nicotine consumption" https://www.generationsanstabac.org/actualites/proteger-les-jeunes-contre-les-manipulations-de-lindustrie-et-les-preserver-de-la-consommation-tabagique-et-nicotinique/ "In Lebanon, tobacco use is exploding among young people, who are smoking at an increasingly early age," based on an interview with Aurélien Colly, correspondent in Lebanon, www.francetvinfo.fr, June 19, 2019 [i] https://www.francetvinfo.fr/replay-radio/en-direct-du-monde/au-liban-le-tabac-explose-chez-les-jeunes-qui-fument-de-plus-en-plus-tot_3475151.html ©DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World |