A Brief History
On June 16, 2010, Bhutan, a landlocked country in Asia and the smallest state located entirely within the Himalaya mountain range, became the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco.
Digging Deeper
Long before the enactment of the Tobacco Control Act of 2010, Bhutan’s government struggled against tobacco use. In 1916, the first King of Bhutan Ugyen Wangchuck (r. 1907–1926) promulgated a ban on the “most filthy and noxious herb, called tobacco.”
Just shy of a century later, 2010’s The Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan regulates tobacco and tobacco products, banning the cultivation, harvesting, production, and sale of tobacco and tobacco products in Bhutan, while also mandating that the government of Bhutan provide counselling and treatment to facilitate tobacco cessation. Recognizing the undeniable harmful effects of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke on human health, Bhutan’s parliament enacted this law for the benefit of the physical health and well being of the Bhutanese people
Nevertheless, the modern Tobacco Control Act has led to some controversy concerning its perceived harsh penalties. Just two years after it was enacted, in January 2012, Parliament passed amendments increasing permissible amounts of tobacco and reducing penalties, while keeping sale and distribution prohibited.
Calls to ban tobacco are hardly limited to Bhutan. Elsewhere in the world, all Kent State University campuses in Ohio in The United States of America will become smoke- and tobacco-free beginning July 1, 2017. According to the official policy: “Beginning July 1, 2017 smoking and tobacco use will not be allowed on any property owned, operated or leased by Kent State. This includes personal vehicles parked on university property. All smoking is prohibited, including the use of electronic smoking devices, mod boxes or electronic nicotine delivery systems that create an aerosol or vapor. The policy also prohibits the use of nicotine, tobacco-derived or plant based products, and oral tobacco. Kent State will not advertise smoking or tobacco products on any university property or at any university-sponsored event.”
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Do you think tobacco should be banned in your country or at least on college campuses? If so, why? If not, why not?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Cook, Garry. Marlboro Nights: Documenting the ban on smoking in public. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012.
Gilmore, Noel. Clearing The Air: The Battle Over The Smoking Ban. Liberties Press, 2014.