SECOND BHUTAN SMOKING BAN RAISES FRESH CONTROVERSY
September 1st, 2010
BY KENCHO WANGDI
THE HIMALAYAN Kingdom of Bhutan recently passed its most rigorous Tobacco Control Bill yet in what some commentators say is a desperate attempt to salvage the country's image as a tobacco-free nation. The first bill, endorsed in 2004, failed. It generated a blossoming black market instead. The law banned tobacco sales in Bhutan, with fines and cancelled business licences for offenders, but smoking continued. With the new bill, under-the-counter tobacco sellers now risk jail of one to three years, without bail. Tobacco smugglers face imprisonment ...
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