Rwanda bans public-places smoking, limits private tobacco production

In a unanimous vote, the Rwandan Senate last week passed a tobacco control bill first tabled in parliament on June 10, 2010, according to a story in The New Times.

The bill prohibits tobacco smoking in enclosed public places, including restaurants and bars, though the owners and managers of those venues may provide smoking areas provided that non-smokers are not inconvenienced.

The bill bans tobacco advertising through sponsorships.

And it obliges any one seeking to grow tobacco on more than half a hectare of land to obtain a license from the government.