Buying
a
cigarrillo
(cigarette
in
Spanish)
is
very
easy
in
San
José
and
all
types
of
brands,
including
Mexican,
Chinese
and
others,
for
the
streets
have
all
types
and
from
all
destinations.
And
that
is
worrisome
for
the
country's
legislators.
The
new
anti-smoking
law
proposes
a
series
of
taxes
that
will
increase
the
cost
of
cigarettes
and
(in
theory)
reduce
consumption.
But,
that
may
only
be
true
for
the
legal
kind,
for
the
lack
of
laws
and
controls
allows
a
lucrative
market
for
clandestine
cigs.
One
has
to
only
take
a
walk
in
downtown
San
José
to
see
the
variety
of
cigarettes
available
-
legal
and
illegal
-
and
the
availability
to
purchase
only
one
for
immediate
smoking.
The
new
"anti-tobacco"
law
that
is
currently
in
discussion
in
the
legislature
would
not
only
impose
new
taxes,
prohibit
smoking
in
public
places
and
control
advertising,
but
also
combat
the
contraband
trade,
which
experts
say
is
way
out
of
control.
The
intent
of
the
legislation
is
not
against
the
prohibition
of
importing
and
selling
foreign
brands,
but
rather
to
ensure
that
the
imports
enter
the
country
legally,
that
is
pay
the
import
tax.
Legislator
María
de
los
Ángeles
Alfaro,
who
is
spearheading
the
bill,
says
"the
logic
is
that
raising
prices
will
diminish
consumption,
but
the
market
is
imperfect".
Today,
the
price
of a
legal
pack
of
cigarettes
is
about
¢1.300
colones.
But
the
contraband
can
be
bought
for
as
little
as
¢500
on
the
streets
of
San
José,
a
price
that,
according
to
Alfaro,
allows
the
young
to
afford
to
buy.
The
anti-smoking
bill
has
been
around
for
some
time
and
like
all
legislation
to
be
approved
in
Costa
Rica,
it
is a
slow
process.
If
and
when
it
is
approved,
the
legislation
would
be
one
of
the
best
in
Latin
America,
according
to
the
l
Coordinador
de
la
Red
Nacional
Anti-tabaco
(RENATA)
and
an
official
of
the
Ministry
of
Health,
Dr.
Roberto
Castro.
Castro
explains
that
the
bill
is
according
to
the
provisions
of
the
Framework
Convention
of
the
World
Health
Organization
(WHO),
and
takes
in
the
experiences
of
other
countries.
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