(left: a pack of Wills found on the grounds of the national stadium, thimphu)
bhutan could be the only country in the world that has done this - their government has banned the sale of tobacco. i was very surprised to hear about this. if this happened in singapore, i'd bet all the dispatch riders would be edgier, the saf (singapore armed forces) would not be as efficient and the black market for cigs would start to thrive again.
hmm.. do we still have a right to gripe about the ban on chewing gum?
there are consequences though. any economist would be able to predict the immediate popularity of alternatives; primarily betel nuts and more tragically marijuana. marijuana grows wild in bhutan and i remember namgay (our guide) showing me a 'processed' version of that sweet smelling mixture one morning.
(left: wild marijuana)
namgay was telling me about a friend who was always 'stoned'. that friend works as a professor teaching IT in a college close to bhumtang. well, i know one thing for sure, the profs there are not as well paid as our profs back home - i don't see them keeping china women in their houses.
Peter: u can still smoke. no worries. :) - u just have to bring in ur own. or get it illegally (haha maybe ur boss has some lobang there too). - or juz smoke...(is it pot or weed?)
u can still smoke 
