The use of smokeless-tobacco products reached an 11-year high among 12th-graders nationwide in 2009, according to the annual Monitoring the Future study released yesterday. The study by University of Michigan researchers found that 8.4 percent of 12th-graders used the products within a 30-day period — the highest level since 8.8 percent in 1998. The rate had been as low as 6.1 percent in 2006 and was 6.5 percent in 2008. The rate of use am ... Jump to full article >>

In the absence of a federal ban on smoking in public places, individual emirates have introduced their own rules, leading to a somewhat disjointed approach to the problem of tobacco use. Since 2007, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah and Dubai have introduced partial or full smoking bans. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi and Umm al Qaiwain are waiting for federal legislation to be passed. The most recent draft, which went before the Federal National C ... Jump to full article >>