Iran bans public-places smoking

Iran was due to ban tobacco smoking in enclosed public places from today, according to a story in The Tehran Times.

Quoting the secretary general of Iranian Anti-Tobacco Association, Mohammadreza Masjedi, as reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency, the story said the ban was being brought in a decade after the relevant legislation was agreed.

Masjedi said full implementation of the law had been made possible through the co-operation of Iran’s environment and health departments, municipalities, and the judicial system.

The law bans tobacco smoking in enclosed places, including factories, hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, theaters, hotels, inns, lodges, restaurants, museums, department stores, cultural centers, public libraries, gyms, schools and universities, educational and research centers, holy sites, mosques, public transportation, government offices, banks, and town halls.

Masjedi said that smoking claimed 65,000 lives in Iran annually, an alarming figure that had to concern the public.