The delay in finalizing the amendment to the Tobacco Control (TC) law is only serving to increase the deaths and losses caused by tobacco use, urging the government to expedite the process.
Speakers highlighted this issue during a journalists' workshop titled “Tobacco Control Law Amendment: Progress, Barriers, and Way Forward” held on Tuesday.
The event was organized by the anti-tobacco organizations PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (Atma), and attended by 30 journalists from print, television, and online media.
It was informed during the workshop that with Cabinet approval, the amendment process will move one step closer to finalization.
The draft amendment includes proposals such as the elimination of designated smoking areas (DSAs), banning tobacco companies' so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, prohibiting the display of tobacco products at points-of-sale, banning the sale of loose sticks, and banning e-cigarettes and other vaping products.
The latest draft of the tobacco control law amendment, prepared by the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is based on global best practices.
Speakers noted that despite continuous interference from the tobacco industry, tobacco use is declining worldwide.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in every three adults was a tobacco user in 2000. By 2022, this number had decreased to one in every five adults. However, 35.3% of adults in Bangladesh still use tobacco, resulting in 161,000 deaths annually.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already declared her vision to transform Bangladesh into a tobacco-free country by 2040.
The speakers emphasized that there is no alternative to expediting the tobacco control law amendment and ensuring the process is free from tobacco industry interference.
Among the discussants at the journalists’ workshop were Dr Maheen Malik, regional director of South Asia Programs, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK); Md Mostafizur Rahman, Bangladesh lead policy advisor, CTFK; Zahirul Alam, head of news, NTV; and Liton Haider, convener, Atma.
