Retro Raunch Revisit

JUN 16, 2010: Bhutan becomes the first nation in the world to completely ban all tobacco & associative products under its Tobacco Control Act. As early as 1916, the country had tried to install a restriction against cigarettes which were deemed the "most filthy and noxious herb". In Jul 2004, a resolution was passed by the country's National Assembly first aimed against sales and smoking in public places with violators facing fines of $225 and the potential loss of business licences. When the TCA was officially enacted by Parliament, the prohibition had also fully banned cultivation, harvesting, production & distribution, and had an additional mandate to provide addiction counselling & treatment with the ultimate aim of turning dependence into total discontinuation. While the TCA's legislation was premised on Bhutan's philosophy of 'Gross National Happiness' which placed emphasis on spiritual, physical & social health, it's enforcement laws largely went after illicit trade by smugglers who depending on felony-degree charges could be imprisoned from 3-5yrs. By Jan 2012, with many criticisms leveled at the harshness of high-profile arrests & punishment and the TCA decried as draconian measures by the government, the call for eventual amendment was met with unanimous support that would allow for gradual ownership limits to be increased and penalties decreased.