Skip to main content

Smoking in Bhutan

Recently I see policemen and the concerned authority reprimanding the businessmen and shopkeepers not to sell tobacco products, at a meeting in Thimphu on BBS. It is nice to see people acting on the mandates. But sometimes I wonder if putting such a ban on the products many people are willing to pay so much, is a good decision. National Assembly might disagree. The thriving black market is an evidence. Some shopkeepers have already lost their trade licenses, dashing the hopes of some humble men. 

Let’s face it. How fair is the cancellation of one’s trade license? Does it reduce the number of smokers in the country? Does it promote GNH society and the principles of a democratic country? I think the ban helps no one. At the best, the country might earn some recognition in being a tobacco free country, which we cannot claim with so many people smoking in the country. And if there is no black market or an outlet for such products, how do people get them in the first place? Sellers will continue to sell as long as we have smokers to smoke.

And just in two years I was a forced witness to the closing of two bookshops in town in this part of the country. In a place where books have no readers, what else can shopkeepers sell?

This is a country where doctors who smoke cigarettes and chew domas talk on television and radio stations how harmful such products are. 


Well, let me make this straight. Neither do I smoke nor am I a shopkeeper selling tobacco products. A personal reflection - offense to none.    


(Photo Courtesy: bbc.co.uk

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 3, 2010 at 2:17 PM

    It will take time or maybe it will never change. We were the first country in the world to ban tobacco use but some other country has claimed the title. I think it is just because we are far from being a tobacco free country. Tobacco is found in the schools, work places, everywhere.

    Nice read buddy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 11, 2010 at 10:02 AM

    I'm from a country like Bhutan( never been colonize) and i hope my king will make the same decision banning tobacco. smoking is just a waste of money, medicine and killing peoples.

    malo

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

So what do you think?

Popular Posts

When they are ready

The Ministry of Education discovered 890 'underage' children admitted in schools across the country in 2019. Thus, the ministry in May 2019 issued a notification revoking the admission for these children.  Majority were in urban centres.  Desperate, parents and the affected schools requested the government to intervene. They also requested the government to consider lowering the enrolment age to five years.  Currently, in Bhutan a child can legally go to school only when s(he) is six years old.  And that policy was strictly followed a few years ago to the extent that some schools refused to admit children even if they were short of a few weeks. So, parents, mostly in urban areas, resorted to faking their children's ages. Many parents were guilty of adding years onto their children's actual ages. However, most parents, we are told, managed to correct their 'mistakes' later.  Faking a child's age was rampant...
2 comments
Read more...

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...