Sharjah: It’s taken a while to get used to, especially for diehard smokers.

But according to authorities, Sharjah prison is the first correctional facility in the Middle East to become entirely tobacco-free.

In addition, medical help for smokers to help them quit is offered daily.

Some prisoners expressed gratitude for the opportunity to stop smoking for good, and some even felt that their success in beating tobacco might empower them to take other, more positive steps in their lives.

Gulf News interviewed two inmates during an exclusive visit to the establishment.

A.A., an Arab inmate in his 50’s, was sentenced to three years in jail over financial issues and he landed in the jail three months ago.

He told Gulf News that he smoked since 1988 and was smoking three packs a day but has now quit.

He viewed his incarceration as a chance to quit smoking forever.

Arab inmate, identified as M.S. in his 50’s, also entered the jail over financial issues but his case is still before the court.

A smoker for 34 years, he started smoking at age 16.

“In the past. I considered smoking as an important issue in my life to improve my strength and courage that are expected in a man. I saw my father smoking in front of me and how he was strong in our house, but, later I discovered its a bad habit and harms health. I feel comfortable quitting smoking,” he said.

Colonel Khalifa Mohammad Al Merri, acting director of the Sharjah Punitive Establishments Department, told Gulf News during an exclusive visit that the prison has reported a “calmer” environment as tobacco has been taken out of circulation.

He said despite the dramatic increase in air quality, the thing that surprised people the most was how well-behaved prisoners were after the tobacco-free policy was first introduced in 2010.

Col Al Merri said the idea came to fruition when the first anti-tobacco law was issued by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2010.

“The law comes in line with the framework of the procedures taken by the leadership to protect nationals and residents, enhance public health and fight social diseases and harmful habits such as smoking, which leads to the death of more than five million people every year according to the World Health Organisation,” Col Al Merri said.

The smoking ban was phased in before it was completely outlawed inside the facility.

Through several phases, jail authorities offered alternative services, which helped the inmates to quit smoking while offering alternative sports activities, rehabilitation programmes, improved food quality, assistance to families, and personal assistance to help inmates solve their problems.

Col Al Merri said, “it took only around six months to become entirely free smoking prison. This is the second comprehensive prison [smoking] ban we’ve seen [worldwide],” he added. “My sense is, a lot [of inmates] smoked because it was a habit or they were bored, and they could.”

Col Al Merri pointed out that prisons are places where many people live and work. They have as much right as anyone else in the community to be protected from harmful tobacco smoke contaminating their homes and workplaces, and to get help to quit smoking.

Tobacco-free policies in prison, he said, help to protect both smoking and non-smoking prisoners and staff from secondhand smoke, and encourage smokers to quit.

“The movement appears to have been very successful so far,” he said.