• 8/23/2004
  • Moscow, Russia
  • The Moscow News

The president on Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, has issued a decree banning his people to chew nas in common places, Russia’s news agency Interfax reported on Friday. Nas or naswai is the country’s staple drug, made of tobacco, slacked lime and chicken excrement. People chew nas for its mild narcotic and stimulating qualities. According to medical reports, about 80 percent of Central Asian people diagnosed with throat cancer chew nas in their life.

Niyazov’s decree, published on Friday, forbids to consume nas in ministries and public institutions, at all enterprises and organizations, in military units and border guard posts in educational and children’s establishments, in theaters, in public and private transport, in parks and shops. The list of the places gives the rough impression of how spread the habit is. The decree also banned selling nas everywhere except for specially assigned places — usually cattle markets.

Those who violate the decree will face fine of two minimum wages — 500 thousand manat ($85). Illegal nas traders will be fined $170.

OCF Note: We don’t make this stuff up folks (like the title of this authentic news article), we just report and post the news as we find it……..