Newley Purnell

Dispatches from Bangkok

Question: What Do San Francisco and Bhutan Have in Common?

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Answer: They’re both governed by public health fascists.

SF (Reuters): “Legislators in San Francisco city voted to ban smoking in public parks on Tuesday, becoming the first major American city to embrace such an expansive ban on tobacco use.”

Bhutan (Slate): “The tiny, trendy Himalayan kingdom recently became the world’s first nonsmoking nation. Since Dec. 17, it has been illegal to smoke in public or sell tobacco. Violators are fined the equivalent of $232—more than two months’ salary in Bhutan. Authorities heralded the ban by igniting a bonfire of cigarette cartons in the capital, Thimphu, and stringing banners across the main thoroughfare, exhorting people to kick the habit. As if they have a choice.”

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January 25th, 2005 at 9:35 pm

Posted in Misc.

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