The national public smoking ban officially goes into effect today, but it remains unclear how it will be accepted as long as smoking is allowed to continue in some cafes, restaurants and other places.

Most provisions of the federal tobacco ban will take effect after the publication today of the law's articles in major newspapers, officials at the Ministry of Health said.

But cafes and restaurants located in residential buildings and areas, which either allow smoking, serve shisha pipes or both, will have a grace period of two years to relocate their businesses or prohibit smoking.

For non-residential restaurants, hotels, cafes, shopping malls and other enclosed public spaces, designated smoking areas will be allowed.

"But they must adhere to specifications that will be outlined in the law's appendix that we are currently drafting," said Dr Salem al Darmaki, the acting director general at the Ministry of Health.

"The specifications will have conditions on the type of ventilation in these smoking areas, where they are located, what capacity they can hold, and so on."

Airports can continue designating smoking rooms as long as they adhere to the yet-to-be-released specifications, he said. Hotels can continue to provide both smoking and non-smoking rooms to their guests, as these rooms are considered private residences.

Speaking at a media briefing at the ministry's offices in Dubai, Dr al Darmaki was joined by Dr Mahmoud Fikri, the director of health legislation and policies at the ministry, Dr Hamdy Abdelellah, legal adviser to the ministry and Dr Wedad al Maidour, the head of the tobacco control team at the ministry and director of the primary health care clinics in Dubai's medical district.

The legislation makes it illegal to grow tobacco for commercial use, import or sell tobacco products that do not have warnings on the packaging, import or sell candies and toys that look like tobacco products, publish promotional material that urge people to smoke, or advertise tobacco products.

Selling cigarettes to anyone under 18 is also illegal, as is smoking in cars carrying children under 12.

Inspectors will have the power to initiate legal action that could result in the offenders being given fines and/or jail terms, Dr Abdelellah said.

"All of these prohibitions shall be punished by imprisonment of no less than a year and no more than two years, and/or a fine of not less than Dh100,000 (US$27,200) and not more than Dh1 million," he said.

Dr al Maidour said it would not be difficult to enforce the ban on smoking in cars carrying children.

"The same way we catch offenders who speak on the mobile while they drive, or don't wear their seat belts, with those same cameras we will be able to catch a father smoking a cigarette in the car with his children right there next to him," she said.

Officials also urged stores selling cigarettes without proper warning labels to dispose of the products, and cautioned them to stop importing them.

It was further clarified that cafes and restaurants in residential buildings and areas will be encouraged to move or prohibit smoking before the end of the grace period, which is meant to protect the businesses and not harm the economy, officials said.

Dr Fikri said that the ministry would continue to mull over the idea that the Government should raise the price of tobacco products, as some other countries have. In Canada, for instance, special taxes mean a pack of cigarettes now sells for more than Dh35, against about Dh7 in the UAE.

But he warned that "if a smoker still does not realise all the harm he causes himself by smoking and the increased chances of diseases like cancer, then raising the price is not going to convince him to quit".