WHO calls for higher taxes on tobacco products – Roya News English

WHO calls for higher taxes on tobacco products – Roya News English

The World Health Organization (WHO) called on four countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Oman) to impose higher taxes on tobacco and nicotine products in order to reduce their consumption.

The WHO pointed out that imposing a tax increase on these products has proven effective in reducing consumption, but tobacco and nicotine products in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are still relatively cheap and widely available.

Tobacco is still a major public health concern in the region, and according to the WHO's latest report, approximately 19 percent of adults in the Eastern Mediterranean Region currently use tobacco.