Skip to main content

Smoking - a mirage in Bhutan

Looks like Bhutan is going to make another headline in the media across the world just like it did in 2004 when initiated a ban on the sale of tobacco products. Now the National Assembly thinks that ban is ineffective as the five years’ experience tells us. So, the National Assembly is going strict – “No Bhutanese can buy or sell tobacco.”(Kuensel dated December 4, 2009).


Good news for so many non-smokers in the country. Looks like, they won’t have to inhale unnecessary smoke anymore. And it is amusing even to hear the Health Minister’s remark to the media: We are not saying you can’t smoke, we are just saying you can’t sell.


Now the National Assembly members say we can’t totally ban smoking because that goes against the individual right. Exactly!  So, Bhutan will be the only country where you can smoke freely because that’s your right to do so (provided you don’t smoke in the specified public places) but can’t buy or sell the tobacco products.


If the National Council agrees with the NA’s amendment, smokers in Bhutan will see smoking as a sort of mirage. You are allowed to smoke, but you can’t either buy or sell cigarettes. It is there yet it is nowhere. And we won’t have to go far to see one big thriving black market.  

Comments

  1. futuredirectorDecember 5, 2009 at 10:45 PM

    let see if ban succeed

    ReplyDelete
  2. bhutanlinkDecember 9, 2009 at 9:09 PM

    in my opinion, i think it makes sense to ban buying cigarettes(in bhutan) after there's ban on selling.it's same both ways. now the smokers are also given the risks.before it was just sellers.this might help prevent black market.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

So what do you think?

Popular Posts

The Vanishing Currency of a Bhutanese Village

Growing up in rural Bhutan, the richest people in the village often had very little cash. They were known as chukpo , 'the ones with cattle'. And no one asked how much money a person had in the bank. No one or only a countable few had bank accounts, anyway. Wealth was measured in fields, cattle, grains, and the ability to carry a family through the seasons. Cash existed, but it played only a small role. Most exchanges happened through barter. Rice for chillies, soya beans for Sichuan peppers, cheese for eggs. I still remember that a ball of homemade cheese was worth two fresh eggs. Nobody needed a calculator because people simply knew. The most remarkable part of the system was the exchange of labour. During sowing and planting seasons, families needed extra hands, yet labour was rarely paid in cash. If I spent three days helping on your farm, you spent three days helping on mine in return. No contract was needed to be signed. No money changed hands. Wealthier households so...
2 comments
Read more...

Community of Bhutanese Bloggers Conceived

And finally it happened. I must say that it was by far the most attended Bloggers Meet. In the past we had bloggers agree to attend and cancel at the very last minute. But on June 24, 2015 – almost 100% of bloggers, who confirmed came. I would like to thank everyone for keeping his/her words, especially those who had to come all the way from Wangdue or Paro. Thank you! 35 Bhutanese bloggers met in Thimphu. We were honored to have the presence of senior bloggers like Aue Yeshi Dorji and Dasho Sangay Khandu. The meeting assumed more significance because of their presence. Equally, we were happy to have many young bloggers in whom we see so much enthusiasm and potential. On top of many things that transpired during the Meet, one of the most significant outcomes was the unanimous decision reached to form a formal group of bloggers, a platform aimed at encouraging and inspiring more bloggers around the country. The members decided that we will call it Community of Bhutanese Blogger...
16 comments
Read more...

The Hair Theory

When I first came to Perth, I did not notice much grey in my hair. Maybe a strand here or there, but nothing to worry about. A year later, things changed. My hair started turning grey in a way I could not ignore. Some friends told me it was stress. Moving to a new country, starting over, learning to build a life from the ground up. Stress can show up in strange ways, they said. I nodded, but I also had my own theory. Back home, as children we were told that salt makes your hair turn white faster. If salt had that kind of power, then why not salty water? I convinced myself that the Perth water was the reason my hair was changing. It made sense to me. I am yet to discover any scientific experiment, if any. But for now, that's a topic for another blog post.  And then I noticed something else. The speed at which our hair fall. All of a sudden grey hair do not bother us anymore. The amount of hair I lost every week was shocking. Friends and acquaintances shared the same story. Almost ...
2 comments
Read more...