Just writing some entries for the forthcoming Global Ideas Book 2004, and amongst those was a piece about Bhutan becoming the first country in the world to become tobacco-free. 19 out of its 20 districts have already declared selling tobacco products as illegal, and smokers will be fined if caught doing so in public. Only the capital remains to come under legislation, and that should happen this year. It's a sobering tale for those Irish or New York smokers who thought they were hard done by. Even the airport's duty-free shop doesn't stock cigarettes anymore.
More generally, Bhutan seems to be at the forefront of a lot of (depending on your views) progressive measures as it makes the transition from monarchy to democracy. An idea featured in a previous Global Ideas Bank bulletin was the way they measure their nation's wellbeing: by Gross National Happiness, rather than Gross National Product. If only the same was true of some other countries....who shall remain nameless....
