Uh-oh!
Smokers, please turn away.
The President of this country has banned the sale of any tobacco related products (gasp!). No, it is not North Korea, it is slightly left towards Central Asia –Turkmenistan.
The country ranks the third worst when it comes to Press freedom, yet the word about this ruling spread like ‘smoke’ without fire.
A new decree allegedly bans the sale of all tobacco products, with shops facing a fine of up to £1,200 (or 6,900 manats in Turkmen currency) if they are caught selling cigarettes.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow is so passionate about converting his country into a non-smoking zone that he sacked Atadurd Odmanov, the head of the State Service for Protecting the Security of a Healthy Society, for failing to achieve a 100 percent elimination of smoking in the country.
As the tobacco ban was announced, state-controlled TV showed footage of thousands of packets of cigarettes being incinerated.
(With inputs from The Independent.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)