The First Nonsmoking Nation
 

The First Nonsmoking Nation
Bhutan banned tobacco. Could the rest of the world follow?
By Eric Weiner
MSN News

Smoke free by decree

If you're indignant that your boss just shut the smoking room and outraged that you have to leave the bar to light up, take heart. Life could be worse. You could be Bhutanese.

The tiny, trendy Himalayan kingdom recently became the world's first nonsmoking nation. Since Dec. 17, it has been illegal to smoke in public or sell tobacco. Violators are fined the equivalent of $232?more than two months' salary in Bhutan. Authorities heralded the ban by igniting a bonfire of cigarette cartons in the capital, Thimphu, and stringing banners across the main thoroughfare, exhorting people to kick the habit. As if they have a choice.

http://www.upfreehost.net/gfy/nosmoke.gif

I am not much of a smoker but this is ridiculous. Do you guys think this will ever catch on?

Wow! What about the good kinda smoke?:winkwink:

Nice freedom of choice there

:(

Only tobacco, Weed is OK :pimp :winkwink:

how is this ridiculous?

millions are addicted and why? you dont even get buzzed, high or whatever, cigs are pointless, no idea why people smoke.

To ban it entirely is ridiculous in my view. Where will it end?

banning citizens from poisoning themselves doesnt seem so bad. :helpme

dayum, that's harsh

It should be peoples own choice. I can understand that some people don't like smoke and if it bothers people I put my cigarette out, but I am very much against anyone telling me that I am not allowed to smoke. My choice.

Why not ban beer while we are at it?

It should always be your choice whether or not to poison yourself. Of course, people smoking around me are poisoning me, too. I don't mind bans in public places but to ban it everywhere in the entire kingdom seems a bit severe.

SpaceAce

That's going to far, I hate smoke ban it from public places fine, smoke in your own home.. I shouldnt have to breath your 2nd hand smoke. But banning it completely is a bit over the top.

When will you stop?
There are lots of other examples that come in mind.
For example, Staying under the sun too long for percentage of people over time can cause cancer. Are you going to ban beaches?
When will you stop?

True, free choice is a good thing but sometimes people are too stupid to make the correct choice. Why is it illegal to drink and drive? Because people are too stupid to know better. Banning of cigs completely is a good idea but perhaps a little extreme. Many other areas are heading the same way. Funny thing, here we have decriminalized the good smoke but we are not allowed to smoke in public places, bars etc and in some cities not in public at all. I hope that is the dirrection more cities and countries take. If you are not in your home or your car it is illegal to smoke.

retard, never happen

It's getting worse here in the US.

For example: At Orlando International Airport you can't smoke outside in front where cars pull up and drop you off or pick you up. Thousands of fucking cars and busses bellowing out carbon monoxide and you cant smoke a fucking ciggarette outside? Come On! That's just fucking Stupid!

smoking fucking blows, kick the habbit, beer and liqour have a point, u get drunk, tipsy, watever, smoking does nothing but make you a fiend.

every single person in my group of friends is a smoker but me, i dont even mind smoke around me because i am so used to it.

calgary is coming close to banning it even outside, its supposed to come around in about a decade, i cant wait.

your right should not infringe on anyone elses, and smoking does, so dont whine when its banned.

and its bullshit people saying " o what next, o they are infringing on my rights "

you're just pissed because you cant kick a habbit not because of your "rights".

lol that funny. the air we breath in major cities is probably equal to smoking a pack of cigs anyways.

Ban McDonalds!

Smoke to get high.... not to die!

ridiculous, would never work here. not to mention that's fucking discrimination.

everyone seems to forget that.

You got a point with the vehicle polution :)

I don't think that will happen in the near future, but there is a slow momentum building towards it. :(

it sounds good for me!!!

true, Philip Morris and the likes have waaaaaaaaaay too much dough to let anything like this happen.

I wouldn't mind a ban in public places though, here in Holland the fucking restaurants aren't even smokefree. Fucking ridiculous! Everytime I go out to have a good time I end up smelling like an ashtray.

Please kill yourself if that's what you want but leave me out of it :2 cents:

Please reiterate this to the brain dead stoners and alcoholics while your at it, thanks
:thumbsup

Well for the fact that it kills more people than anything else and harms others around you I say good

Then why don't they do the same for drinking in public? It is considered poisoning yourself just like cigarettes, right? You can harm yourself or others when you're drunk, so why don't they bann drinking as well?
Then it will be a cool place to live: no smoking, no drinking, no farting, no sneezing, just going to work and coming back home.

I hope it catches on.

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh
You got a point there.

Ban cars
They will kill ya faster than cig's will
The poision coming from a car's exhaust is 1 million times more harmfull then the smoke from a cig.

Wow the anti-smoking laws are getting tougher...

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/nation...ke-050110.html

Fines double if you smoke near children and pregnant women!

I still maintain that life is better for everyone when you do not have to walk through clouds of smoke to get into places, eat with the lingering odur of smoke etc and its better for everyone if the laws get tougher.

VD please don't get this wrong, it wasn't meant at you specifically (I don't even know nor is it my business if you smoke) it was more a message in general (part of my rant about not even having smokefree restaurants in NL)

Just to clarify things :thumbsup

weed is less harmful for you than tobbaco in my opinion

its an addiction..... you dont get high, but just try and quit and see what happens! Its like being on pain killers for a long time, after a while it just becomes normal to pop them. You are not high, just a normal existence, its the same with tobacco :2 cents:

Ok TOO MUCH smoking can give u cancer.

But TOO MUCH crisps and fries can give u cancer too.
And TOO MUCH fat gives u heart problems.

So let's ban crisps, fries and fat food too ok?

hell when were at it lets make of every little thing thats unhealthy for ppl a little rule that it's forbidden. Thats the way it goes with the fucking world today: Politicians clear out any risk thats just part of life.

... say the ingnorant potheads.
the cancer chance of joints:cigs is 3:1 according to a recent research that i read in the paper a while ago.
Theoretical example:
person A that smokes 3 joints a day and person B that smokes 9 cigs a day got exactly the same chance of cancer. 3 joints = 9 cigs.
When A goes up to 4 joints a day and B sticks to 9 cigs a day, A will have more chance to get cancer then B: 4 joints (4x3)= 12 cigs.

I smoke now just as a crutch for stess... I hate it.. When I used to smoke when I was younger I would get a little buzz out of it.. but like any drug it went away and the dependancy kicked in..

after smoking for 10 years I feel like shit...

I quit last year for 6 months, and it was great.. Then stress levels went through the roof and I started back up..

Once you're addicted, it's not so much a choice. I'm a hardcore addicted smoker and I hate it. I hate the government for taking advantage of it with exhorbitant taxes. I'd prefer that it be banned, and the tax money already collected used to pay for Zyban or other treatments for addicted smokers.

I can't quit. Maybe this makes me weak. Maybe I'm more hooked than other people. I don't know.

I believe I COULD quit, under ideal circumstances... but I haven't lived under ideal circumstances for quite a while now.

It is gaining momentum. Lets see how far it will go. They have to stop or else there are 1000 of products that are a health hazard.

I hope you can quit again. I am lucky, since I can smoke a few in the whole week or not. I never urge it.

Too much of everything is bad.

I don't think smoking is the best thing to do.

Just do what australia does - increase the tax on cigarettes to 1000% so that if people want to buy...they can... :)

Can't they get cigarettes from the internet cheaper?

Damn its a good start. I don't smoke so it don't bother me.

So then they should ban alcohol, all foods with fat in it, tanning, running to fast

Where to we draw the line?

It's not, but one should have the choice. I am happy it's banned in the resturants, malls and etc. but to ban it entirely will not be right either.