Smoking in Iraq

Iraqi social behavior

Men smoking hookah in Mosul, 1914

Smoking in Iraq is a widespread and culturally accepted behavior in Iraqi society. Since 2003 however there has been a greater push from the government to impose stricter rules. Since 2009 it is illegal to smoke in or around public buildings, although the ban remains unpopular with the Iraqi public and enforcement is inconsistent.[1]

A 2015 study conducted by health advocates stated that and average of 55 Iraqis die daily due to tobacco related diseases. By comparison and average of 10 people a day are killed in Iraq due to terrorism and violence.[1]

## History and prevalence[edit]

Tobacco consumption has historically been popular in the Arab region since the colonial era, but prevalence has increased significantly in Iraq since the Iran-Iraq War, and subsequent violence.[1][2] The rates being at 31% for men and 4% for women. Smoking in the Kurdistan region are significantly lower at 15.3% with 25.1% and 2.7% regarding the rates for men and women respectively.[2]

## Bans and legality[edit]

Theoretically tobacco advertisement is prohibited and it is illegal to smoke in public places and indoors, enforcement is iratic at best. A 2015 survey by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that there were multiple billboards throughout the capital Baghdad promoting tobacco, as well as in hospitals and schools.[2] The same survey found that 13% of Iraqi districts had no funded cessation programs aimed at helping smokers quit.[2]

Taxation by the government on cigarettes, although increasing, is comparatively low at less than 50%; most packs are sold for less than a US dollar.[2]

## Public opinion[edit]

Smoking is seen by a significant segment of Iraq's population as a socially acceptable way to socialize and relax.[2] Most religious leaders however are opposed to smoking and think it is un-Islamic.[1]

## Smoking under ISIL[edit]

Smoking is banned in areas under ISIL occupation, with harsh punishment if violated. In areas that have been liberated smoking has come to be seen as a symbol of freedom and as a celebration of destroying ISIL existing where people publicly share cigarettes and smoke shisha in groups as a way of stating that ISIL is gone.[3][4]

## See also[edit]

* Health in Iraq

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Butt out, please: Imposing the mother of all cigarette bans". The Economist. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
2. ^ a b c d e f Hussain, Zainab; Sullivan, Richard (28 April 2017). "Tobacco in post-conflict settings: the case of Iraq". ecancermedicalscience. 11: 735. doi:10.3332/ecancer.2017.735. PMC 5440183. PMID 28596801.
3. ^ Callimachi, Rukmini (22 April 2017). "After ISIS, Smoking Openly to Feel Free". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
4. ^ Nawzat Shamdeen (26 November 2015). "Dying for A Cigarette: Iraqi Smokers Light Up To Challenge Extremists' Rule Around Mosul". Niqash. Retrieved 2 December 2017.

* v
* t
* e

Tobacco smoking

Country
and region|

| Africa|

* Egypt
* Nigeria
* South Africa

|

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* China
* East Timor
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Japan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Macau
* Malaysia
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Turkey
* Vietnam

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand
*   * Tokelau

Europe|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Croatia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Latvia
* Norway
* Russia
* Sweden
* Turkey
* United Kingdom

South America|

* Argentina
* Brazil
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Uruguay

North America|

* Canada
* Cuba
* United States

Religion|

* Smoking in Jewish law
* Islamic views on tobacco
* Tobacco fatwa
* Ceremonial pipe
* Chanunpa
* Kinnikinnick
* Pipe bag

Health|

* Health effects of tobacco (Nicotine poisoning
* Nicotine withdrawal)
* Passive smoking
* Third-hand smoke
* Prevalence of tobacco use
* Schizophrenia and smoking
* Sidestream smoke
* Smokeless tobacco keratosis
* Smoker's face
* Smoker's melanosis
* Stomatitis nicotina
* Smoking age
* Smoking and male infertility
* Smoking cessation
* Tobacco-free pharmacies
* Tobacco packaging warning messages
* WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
* MPOWER
* Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products
* World No Tobacco Day
* Youth smoking

Women and smoking|

* Breastfeeding difficulties
* Breast cancer
* Cervical cancer
* Menopause
* Ptosis of the breast
* Smoking and female infertility
* Smoking and pregnancy

Smoking ban|

* Inflight smoking
* List of smoking bans
* Smoking bans in private vehicles
* Tobacco-free college campuses

Country and region|

* Australia
* England
* France
* United States

Other|

* Chain smoking
* Tobacco consumption by country
* History of smoking
* Smoking cap
* Smokeasy
* Smoking fetishism
* Smoking in association football
* Smoking jacket
* Tobacco pipe
* Smoking room
* Nicotine marketing
* Tobacco bowdlerization
* Tobacco industry

* Category
* Cigarettes
* Electronic cigarettes

* v
* t
* e

Iraq topics

History

| Chronology|

* Ubaid period
* Hassuna culture
* Halaf culture
* Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period
* Samarra culture
* Uruk period
* Jemdet Nasr period
* Sumer
* Subartu
* Akkadian Empire
* Gutian dynasty
* Neo-Sumerian Empire
* Isin-Larsa period
* First Babylonian Empire
* Old Assyrian Period
* Middle Assyrian Empire
* Kassite dynasty of the Babylonian Empire
* Simurrum culture
* Babylonia
* Assyria
* Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Neo-Babylonian Empire
* Fall of Babylon
* Achaemenid Assyria
* Seleucid Babylonia
* Parthian Babylonia
* Sassanid Asorestan

|

638–1958|

* Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia
* Umayyad Caliphate
* Abbasid Caliphate
* Buyid dynasty
* Qara Qoyunlu
* Aq Qoyunlu
* Safavids
* Ottoman Iraq (incl. Mamluk dynasty)
* Mandate for Mesopotamia
* Mandatory Iraq
* Kingdom of Iraq
* Kings
* Arab Federation

Republic|

* 1958–1968
* 1968–2003
* 2003–2011
* 2011–present

* Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region (National Command)
* Saddam Hussein
* Iraqi–Kurdish conflict
* 1974–1975 Shatt al-Arab clashes
* 1977 Shia uprising in Iraq
* 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq
* Weapons of mass destruction
* Iran–Iraq War
* Operation Opera
* Invasion of Kuwait
* Gulf War
* 1991 uprisings
* Sanctions
* Iraq War
* U.S. invasion
* Iraqi insurgency
* U.S. troop withdrawal
* Insurgency (2011–2013)
* War (2014–2017)
* Fall of Mosul
* Mosul liberation
* Insurgency
* 2019–2021 protests
* 2021–2022 Iraqi political crisis

Geography

* Faw peninsula
* Upper Mesopotamia
* Lower Mesopotamia
* Borders
* Euphrates river
* Hamrin Mountains
* Iraqi Kurdistan
* Lakes
* Islands
* Mesopotamia
* Mesopotamian Marshes
* Persian Gulf
* Places
* Shatt al-Arab
* Syrian Desert
* Tigris river
* Umm Qasr
* Zagros Mountains
* Wildlife
* Sinjar Mountains

Politics

* Administrative divisions
* Constitution
* Council of Representatives (legislative)
* Democracy
* Elections
* Foreign aid
* Foreign relations
* Government
* Council of Ministers
* Presidency Council
* President
* List
* Prime Minister
* List
* Human rights
* in pre-Saddam Iraq
* in Saddam Hussein's Iraq
* in post-invasion Iraq
* in ISIL-controlled territory
* LGBT
* Freedom of religion
* Women
* Law
* Military
* Police
* Political parties
* Judiciary
* Wars and conflicts

Economy

* Banks
* Central Bank
* Companies
* Corruption
* Dinar (currency)
* Infrastructure
* Foreign Investment
* Oil Industry
* Oil reserves
* Reconstruction
* Stock Exchange
* Telecommunications
* Transportation
* Airlines
* Railways
* Tourism

Society

| Demographics|

* Iraqis
* Languages
* Mesopotamian Arabic
* Aramaic
* Kurdish
* Iraqi Turkmen/Turkoman dialects
* Persian
* Minorities
* Armenians
* Assyrians
* Circassians
* Kurds
* Mandaeans
* Marsh Arabs
* Persians
* Solluba
* Iraqi Turkmen/Turkoman
* Jews
* Religion
* Secularism
* Islam
* Christianity
* Mandaeism
* Yazidis
* Irreligion

|

General|

* Art
* Cinema
* Cuisine
* Culture
* Literature
* Education
* Health
* Media
* Television
* Music
* Smoking
* Sports
* Squatting
* Public holidays
* Mesopotamian spring festival (Akitu)
* Mandaean New Year

* Category
* Portal
* WikiProject
* Commons

This Iraq-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template