Posted by JohnnyRico on 11/2/2009, 9:42 am, in reply to "10 smokers’ paradises: A guide for globe-trotters" Link: List of smoking bans
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Thanks John for the article!
Bhutan is a small country between India and China near Nepal.. They tried to not only ban smoking in all public places but also the sale of tobacco in the country (tho they allowed it to be imported with heavy taxes..
"On 17 December 2004, a national ban on the sale of tobacco products went into effect, but importing limited tobacco would still be permitted with very heavy taxes.[8] Smoking in all public places in Bhutan became illegal on 22 February 2005. It thus became the first nation in the world to outlaw this practice outright. However, there is little enforcement. Cigarettes are widely smuggled, and bars in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu are usually smoky.
The National Council[9] decided on 10 July 2009 to lift the ban on the sale of tobacco and tobacco products while discussing the tobacco control bill.
The council, with a majority, agreed to delete the section C in chapter three of the bill, which says, “No person shall sell tobacco and tobacco products.” The council chairperson, Namgay Penjore, said that they discussed including a new clause to control the sale of tobacco and tobacco products through pricing.
Council members said that the ban on the sale was ineffective and led to a black market. Some said tobacco was easily available anywhere, but at exorbitant prices because of the ineffective ban.
“The idea is to make tobacco expensive by imposing higher taxes,” said the chairperson. The name of the bill is “Tobacco control bill” and not ‘… ban’. “The change (deleting the clause) was to do away with the thriving black market,” he said.
Meanwhile, the council also suggested inserting another clause restricting the sale of tobacco products to youth below 18 years. However, Namgay Penjore said the bill was still under discussion and not endorsed. The bill will be submitted to the National Assembly.
The sale of tobacco and tobacco products had been banned in the country on December 17, 2004, following a resolution of the 87th session of the National Assembly."
Picture: Mina from the UK smoking
