INTERVIEW: Secret Deal Means Laos Has some of the World’s Cheapest Cigarettes

INTERVIEW: Secret deal means Laos has some of the world’s cheapest cigarettes

This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. A pack of cigarettes in Laos costs as little as 32 U.S. cents, thanks to a secret deal between the Lao government and British tobacco giant, Imperial Brands. In a new report, The Examination, a news site that focuses on global health threats, looks into who benefited from the 2001 deal and how an agreement capping excise taxes has hit government revenues i…