The controversial tobacco act will be introduced as an “urgent bill” in the upcoming session of the parliament.
Urgent bills must be amended and adopted in the same session.
The act was passed by the parliament in January this year. Since then, 59 people have been arrested for possession, sale or smuggling of tobacco products.
Ten have been convicted of smuggling and jailed.
Under the act, anyone convicted of smuggling tobacco products can be jailed for three to five years.
The first person to be convicted of smuggling tobacco products under the act was Sonam Tshering, a monk. He was caught with Nu.120 worth of chewing tobacco, convicted of smuggling and sentenced to three years in prison.
His conviction prompted a nationwide debate, with many condemning the tobacco act as draconian. Many others however religiously upheld the act.
The act was aimed at preventing smuggling and stamp out the thriving black market in tobacco products which has come up after the government banned the sale of tobacco products in the country.
The problem with the act, authorities believe, is the ambiguity on the definition of smuggling.
“We have provisions on smuggling in the act but we have not clearly defined what constitutes smuggling,” said MP Ugyen Wangdi, the chairperson of the legislative committee of the national assembly.
The winter session of the parliament is scheduled from January 4.
