Bhutan

Bhutan smokers huff and puff over tobacco ban
Aljazeera.com - September 28, 2012

In downtown Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, Sonam Dema - who requested her real name not be used - owns a small corner shop in a quiet alleyway. Packaged food, drinks, confectionaries and pastries are on display. On a busy afternoon, a Bhutanese man walks into the shop and orders cigarettes in a hushed tone. Dema looks around cautiously. She leans down to her handbag and pulls out a pack of 10 cigarettes. "One hundred ngultrum (about $1.87)," Dema says.
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Khentse Rimpoche's comment on the smoking ban (3/3/12)
Kuensel, Buhutan's National Newspaper - March 3, 2012

So you can see that our tobacco taliban picked up on a rumour about buddhism and smoking and threw a bunch of innocent people into jail.

New tobacco Act will benefit 19
Judges throw more light into retrospective active application of the law
Kuensel Online (bt), 2012-01-24
Samten Wangchuk

While the amended Tobacco Control Act might have come in a bit too late for 63 people already sentenced under the previous one, it stands to benefit 19 others. …

Tobacco Control Act up for appraisal
Whether or not to slip it in as an urgent bill is the question
Kuensel Online (bt), 2011-12-17
Kesang Dema

Eighth Parliament Session Parliament has yet to decide whether or not to take up the amendment of the Tobacco Control Act, as an urgent bill, in its upcoming winter session. ...

Bhutan Bans Smoking, Totally Plus Electronic Cigarettes & Justin ...
Digital City - March 30, 2009

Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington and 17 other states have all issued statewide smoking bans. The rest either have partial smoking bans or no smoking bans; yet even within those states there are plenty of cities and towns with smoking bans.

If you live in one of these states and you insist on smoking in a public restaurant or bar then you could move to another state. That's an ambitious option but in Bhutan, you would have nowhere to go. Slate Magazine's Eric Weiner reports that the country has recently passed a nationwide smoking ban. No smoking in public or selling tobacco. Anyone caught lighting up receives a fine of $232, which in Bhutan is two months salary. So, if you really love to smoke, then that's almost like buying an engagement ring for every cigarette. Sorry for the stupid analogy but that's a lot of money. ...