OUTLAWING the sale of cigarettes, banning smoking in public places and slapping up to 200 per cent tax on cigarettes imported for personal consumption may be the key to cracking public health’s top problem.

Bhutan, a country known for its remote beauty and Buddist traditions, has found that this strict approach has prompted half of smokers, in at least one survey, to quit.

The move isn’t without detractors though. The young urban middle classes are openly flouting the ban on smoking in public places and Indian cigarette manufacturers are none too pleased at the detrimental effect the measures are having on trade.

Perhaps inevitably, a black market in cigarettes is flourishing in Bhutan. Public Health News (Sept 19) reports that a packet of Indian cigarettes now costs £2.40 compared with the usual price of 30 pence in the country.

So is the Bhutanese model one which the UK might follow? Unlikely, according to the magazine. “The comparative ease with which the Bhutan Government has, so far, managed to implement such strict anti-smoking policies is partly due to a range of circumstances which could be difficult to replicate elsewhere,” it says. These include a strong anti-smoking culture in Buddism.

• New Scientist (Sept 24) reports on research which shows that a ban on smoking in Dublin bars has improved the air quality and health of bar staff, who now inhale less carbon monoxide and suffer less from watery eyes and respiratory difficulties.

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