Jump to full article: All-Africa.com, 2006-10-17
Author: Guy Brina The Voice (Francistown)
Intro: In 1992, it became an offence to smoke in public places in Botswana. Individuals breaking that law are theoretically subject to a P1000 fine, but no one I know - including a few police officers - has ever heard of anyone having to cough-up any cash for smoking in public.
The P10,000 fine that restaurant and bar owners are subject to, however, has encouraged them to enforce the non-smoking regulations at their establishments.
If the government really wanted to help the nation kick the smoking habit, however, they wouldn't try to hit the odd offender with a fine but rather slap a healthy tax on every pack of cigarettes.
In the United Kingdom 20 cancer-sticks will set you back the equivalent of P70. . . .
The problem may well be that until our average life expectancy grows to above 50-years-of-age, government and health officials won't view cancer and heart disease as priority items.
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