We run and support programmes to tackle youth smoking across the area

We believe that tobacco products are only suitable for adult consumers and do not want children to smoke.

Across the Middle East our companies work to make sure that their marketing practices do not undermine efforts to combat under age smoking.

We fully support laws and regulations prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to anyone under a minimum age and agree that there must be penalties for retailers who break the law.

British American Tobacco Middle East acknowledges that its primary responsibility in addressing underage tobacco consumption is ensuring that our marketing practices do not undermine efforts to combat it and are not designed to appeal to the underage.

As well as working to ensure that our marketing is directed only at adult tobacco consumers, we seek to lobby governments for a regulated minimum age for sales of tobacco products where none exists.

Youth smoking prevention programmes

To contribute to the prevention of underage consumption, we also run and support programmes to tackle the problem. Over the past few years, we have worked with retailers and other key stakeholders across the Middle East to support retail access prevention programmes. Our aim is preventing children from obtaining tobacco products and discouraging children from wanting to smoke.

In 2009, British American Tobacco Middle East ran retail access prevention programmes in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran, and in 2011 in Oman. In 2012, more programmes were launched in Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.