OMAN
Oman’s ministry of information announced that advertising for tobacco products on social media and billboards has been banned.
The new decree, issued by Dr. Abdel Mon’em Al Hassani, minister of information, “prohibits the publication of advertisements of tobacco products or derivatives across all media, audio, visual, electronic, and any billboards, wherever they exist.”
Local media have also reported that the sultanate will soon raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol, soft drinks and energy drinks, in line with similar moves taken by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain. Additionally, Omani officials are considering increasing taxes on fast food.