The Bhutan Food and Drug Authority will soon implement the revised Tobacco Control Regulations with heavier fines for defaulters. The authority has recently drafted the revised regulations amid the increasing number of people smoking in public places according to the authority. Though officials have been imposing fines for defaulters after the tobacco ban was lifted in 2021, the authority says there were no written regulations that warrant the authority to penalise the defaulters.
The revised regulations will have new sections on the Responsibility of Consumers and Responsibility of Sellers. As is the current practice, consumers will be fined if they smoke in public places and fail to respect the privacy of non-smokers. Similarly, sellers are not allowed to display or promote tobacco products and sell them to minors and students. The authority says without the penalties spelt out in the regulations, people do not cooperate with the officials when they are caught smoking in public places.
Although the penalty amount has yet to be fixed, the authority says people will be imposed heavier fines.
According to the authority, the open sale, easy availability, and cheaper rates of cigarettes have led to an increase in the number of smokers and subsequently people smoking in public places.
Meanwhile, residents and shopkeepers in Thimphu have also been observing the rise in the number of tobacco buyers including minors since the ban on tobacco import was lifted.
“I think the number of smokers has increased in the country. All the nooks and corners in Thimphu are littered with cigarette buds. Every place has become a public smoking place,” said Dawa Denkar, a resident.
“If free smoking and free access to tobacco continue, I think the number of smokers will keep increasing. One important concern is the damage it will do to people’s health. I think the diseases caused by smoking will increase and I am afraid even new kinds of diseases will occur,” said Nima Tshering, another resident.
“There used to be some hesitance in smoking openly in the past. Today, the number of customers has increased and also, they start smoking right in front of the shop. Smokers fill the areas around the shop at night. Although the business is good, I think it would be better if there are some designated smoking areas in public,” said Passang Tamang, a shopkeeper.
“The sale of tobacco has increased over the years. In a day, I sell around forty packets of cigarettes. Customers including students and minors also come to buy cigarettes,” said another shopkeeper.
According to the authority, officials are currently carrying out inspections and sensitization exercises in districts across the country. This will be followed by similar exercises in organisations and institutions in Thimphu.
“Although buying and selling is made legal, public smoking is not at all allowed. Bhutan Food and Drug Authority continues to regulate its inspection and enforcement functions. However, controlling public smoking has become more challenging,” said Ugyen Tshering, Chief Programme Officer of Controlled Substances and Medical Device.
The authority has collected more than Nu 100,000 in fines from people smoking in public places in the last three years. An individual is fined Nu 500 if seen smoking in public places.
Selling and buying of tobacco products were made legal in 2021 in light of continuous smuggling of tobacco products through the country’s porous southern border, as well as the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Namgay Dema
Edited by Kipchu
