Dubai bans tobacco sale for 24 hours

Dubai: All tobacco products are banned from being sold in Dubai for 24 hours on Thursday, May 31, to observe World No Tobacco Day, a senior official at the Dubai Municipality said.

"The move is aimed at spreading awareness about the dangers of cigarette smoking and to make people think about the dangers of tobacco consumption, as it kills millions of people and affects public health," Eng. Redha Salman said.

World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe.

The volunteer participants include major business establishments such as Hyper Panda, Safeer Group, News Center, Cadolle, Spinneys, Carrefour, Choithram, Lulu, Maya, Family, West Zone and J-Mart.