In Turkmenistan, the fight against tobacco is turning to coercion. The government has outright banned the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Turkmenistan is a discreet but effective country in its fight against tobacco. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the dictatorship of the Middle East counts only 8% of smokers. A visibly insufficient result in the eyes of its president, Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedow. According to the independent site Chrono-TM, businesses are now banned from selling cigarettes and other products containing tobacco.
A dentist by training, the President of Turkmenistan is determined to ensure the good health of his population. The State Service for the Protection of the Safety of a Healthy Society, previously in charge of the fight against drugs, would hunt down cigarette sellers. Violators face a fine of 10 minimum wages (5,900 manats, or 1,550 euros). An extreme decision which can be explained by the will to act of Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedow.
On January 5, the statesman intervened in the media – controlled by the government – to criticize the lack of decisive action by the State Service. He pushed the sanction to the point of removing Atadurdy Osmanov, at the head of the service, from his rank of colonel.
The black market is exploding
The Turkmen government is being coercive but intractable in its decision to ensure the well-being of the population. In addition to this ban, it multiplies television campaigns that promote the benefits of the lifestyle. President Berdymuhamedow is getting his hands dirty: on several occasions he has featured in reports extolling the interest of fishing and cycling.
But a total ban does not mean an end to tobacco in Turkmenistan. In Bhutan, which implemented the same measure in 2004, smuggling with neighboring India immediately developed. The same goes for the former Soviet republic where the black market was not long in organizing. The price of a packet of Marlboro would have reached 11 euros (44 manats) against almost 8 previously (22 to 30 manats).
In Turkmenistan, the fight against tobacco in coercion mode: Sales of cigarettes banned but explosion of the black market https://t.co/d2YkyBtzwL
– Pourquoidocteur (@Pourquoidocteur) January 18, 2016
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