The government has planned to ban energy drinks containing alcohol and other harmful chemical ingredients after examining those.
It will also warn bar owners in the capital to stop illegal sales of the hookah, also known as shisha, that contain detrimental chemical elements, as well as the powder form of marijuana, heroin and yaba pills.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters at his office yesterday that the decision to ban alcoholic energy drinks was made at a meeting of the narcotics control board.
The 19-member board meeting, presided over by the home minister, included the education minister, information minister, state minister for social welfare, Foreign Ministry and Health Ministry officials, top officials of the Department of Narcotics Control and members of the law enforcement agencies.
Asaduzzaman said the narcotics control department had found the presence of alcohol in energy drinks after lab tests. “So the narcotics control board has decided to impose a ban on all varieties of energy drinks offered in the market. Before the imposition of the ban, the board will re-examine samples in other labs also.”
The home minister said the manufacturer of such energy drinks would also be subjected to legal actions.
He said the country’s youths are addicted to the hookah which is why owners of the bars offering this would be warned.
“The government has brought under control the spread of phensidyl with the help of the Indian government but we are still concerned about yaba tablets. These are very small and are ease to carry. We are continuously operating anti-yaba drives.”
Asaduzzaman said the narcotics control board had also decided to run a one-month anti-narcotic campaign from January next year at educational and religious institutions in order to make people aware of their detrimental effects.