Tobacco Policymaking and Administration in Bhutan from 1991 to 2009

Abstract

From 1991 to 2004, a significant grassroots campaign, in the eastern Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, that included urban and rural people and Buddhist monks, called for national legislation to ban tobacco sales. In 2004, Bhutan banned all tobacco sales and restricted smoking in public areas, but permitted the importation, with a high duty and sales tax, of small amounts of tobacco products for personal use. From 2004 to 2009, this novel experiment in tobacco control resulted in a strong black market, considerable tobacco smuggling, and continued tobacco use by crucial sectors of the population, particularly minors. In response, in 2009, Bhutan passed important amendments to its 2004 anti-tobacco law that tightened administration and enforcement efforts, established specific penalties for violations, and monitored tobacco consumption trends. However, if tobacco consumption trends do not improve and smuggling is not successfully counter-acted, Bhutan should consider changing, to some degree or in total, its anti-tobacco program.