UAE
Only one in four smokers in the UAE have changed their habits after the government introduced a 100% excise or “sin tax” last year.
A recent poll actually suggested that medwakh - a high-strength pipe tobacco - had actually increased in popularity.
Respiratory expert, Dr. Saheer Sainalabdeen, said that he was seeing more younger men in his surgery as a result of pipe smoking. According to Dr. Sainalabdeen, one hit of medwakh is the equivalent of smoking four or five cigarettes. He noted that some were smoking the equivalent of five packets of cigarettes daily.
Although not giving up smoking, it appears that smokers are switching to cheaper brands instead. While the best-known brands currently sell for AED22 (US$6) per pack, smokers can still buy cigarettes for as little as AED3 dirhams (US$0.80).