A national plan aiming to protect people in 63 cities and 63 villages from second-hand smoke over a five-year period has just been piloted in the central city of Qom, reports Tehran Times.
In accordance with Article 8 of the World Health Organisation's Convention on Tobacco Control, which aims to protect people from smoking and reduce its side-effects, Iran declared the city of Qom the first ‘tobacco-free city’ in the country.
A tobacco-free city is a place where the sale, supply and use of tobacco is regulated in such a way that people are protected from second-hand smoke, direct and indirect incentives are restricted, tobacco users are encouraged to stop, said Behzad Valizadeh, Head of the National Secretariat for Tobacco Control.
This five-year programme will eventually start in 63 cities and 63 selected villages across the country, the report said.