Qatar in crackdown on alcohol based perfumes

Monday, 21 January 2013 12:16 PM

(Image for illustrative purposes)

Qatar’s Ministry of Environment is imposing strict new regulations for the import and sale of alcohol-based perfumes.

The new directive will be enforced by April this year, with all laboratories in the country that import perfumes required to produce a mandatory certificate to show there is no alcoholic content.

A warning “for external use only” will be printed on the product in both Arabic and English. The aim of the new regulation is to prevent misuse and any potential health hazards.

In December 2011, Qatar banned the sale of alcohol on its flagship Pearl Development, resulting in a huge slump in revenues for retailers.

Earlier this month, UK celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay hit out at the ban, which led to the closing of his restaurant at the development, and said he does not see the legislation “lasting much longer”, it was reported.

Ramsay closed down his Maze Doha restaurant in March 2012 after just two years of operation, while many restaurateurs operating on the Pearl-Qatar development said they had seen revenues decline by as much as 50 percent in the six months immediately after the alcohol ban was introduced in December 2011.

“I think the legislation in terms of operating restraints - going out for dinner and not being allowed to have a glass of wine - I think it’s one turn-off for any local,” he was quoted as saying by Doha News, while on a visit to the city to open two new restaurants at the St Regis Hotel.

“We had to make sensible commercial decisions - you’re not going to run that restaurant and look stupid and lose thousands on a weekly basis.”

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Posted by: LeRoy Sunday, 3 February 2013 11:16 AM[UAE] - Saudi Arabia

can't believe this people fighting over a small poisonous potion called perfumes just to get their brains dulled for a few minutes.

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Posted by: John Tuesday, 29 January 2013 5:04 PM[UAE] - UAE

Just how bored and desperate for entertainment are people in Qatar that they are reduced to making a CKOne-Martini for kicks?

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Posted by: Shaikh Nasir Friday, 25 January 2013 12:21 PM[UAE] - UAE

There no clear concept of banning alcoholic perfumes as they are not health hazardous. In fact they are good for heealth as they smell good and help smeling good in person. The alcohol external use is always appropriate as it kills germs and sprit using before and after vaccination is the example.

Banning alcoholic perfumes may not harm any economy of France or any european country but herslef Qatar's economy. Just need a wise calculation.

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Posted by: Abdur Rehman Wednesday, 23 January 2013 3:48 PM[UAE] - Qatar

Oh yes! If France and other sheep-oriented european countries can BAN VEIL in their streets, why can't a Middle-east country come out to BAN ALCOHOL? You consider veil as an example of women-oppression, consider the stats of rape, women-abuse, drunk driving, drunk theft in your country and compare the similar stats with Qatar.
Qatar is far more safer and serene than most european countries.
I'd say, ban alcohol and let it stay banned!

Posted by: Richard Sunday, 27 January 2013 3:06 PM[UAE] - UAE

Actually Suleman, yours is an opinion, not a fact. And that's a fact.

Posted by: Telcoguy Saturday, 26 January 2013 11:05 AM[UAE] - Uae

@Abdur, I would love to compare stats... But simply there are no reliable figures for almost anything in the GCC.
We have one though, and guess what your alcohol-free roads kill and maim way more people than the alcohol-fueled ones in the west
@sukeman, blance of power may be changing but not to the ME benefit, think south and East. Maybe if you stop blaming evil foreign powers for your 600 years neglect of science and knowledge you wil understand why you issued things like the industrial revolution. And you will be able to eventually fix it

Posted by: Suleman Nahdi Friday, 25 January 2013 8:36 PM[UAE] - UAE

Dear John; why not take all western ideas, people and political intervention out of the Middle East and see how from the region will thrive! The world has turned around mate, and whether you like it or not western society is doomed! Without Middle Eastern money no European economy will move forward, its a simple fact...

Posted by: John Thomas Friday, 25 January 2013 2:53 PM[UAE] - UAE

Dear Abdur; when you decide to come out of the 15th Century please let us know.... "Sheep-oriented"?? Seriously? Is that the best you could come up with?? Funny enough that this Region has a "can't live with them but can't live without them" approach to everything Western... I would love to see everything Westerner taken away from the region and I mean everything.. let us see what people like you and many others would then be driving; wearing, eating; flying in, etc...
Unreal!

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Posted by: RBH Tuesday, 22 January 2013 10:07 AM[UAE] - Lebanon

This is funny. What next? ban alcohol-based medicines? Just check every medication that contains elixir. That's alcoholic.

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Qatar in crackdown on alcohol based perfumes

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