Turkmenistan bans type of chewing tobacco

The president of Turkmenistan has banned a popular, mildly narcotic form of chewing tobacco, the state newspaper said today.

The concoction, called nas, mixes tobacco with ashes and lime – and sometimes with chicken manure. Authorities say it causes tuberculosis and cancer.

The newspaper Neitralny Turkmenistan reported that the ban ordered by President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov took effect immediately.

Berdymukhamedov has made tentative moves to raise health standards in the impoverished country since coming to power in December 2006 after the death of long-time dictator Saparmurat Niyazov.