Anti-tobacco activists have alleged that tobacco companies recklessly promote e-cigarette in Bangladesh to expand their business and gain profits by getting teenagers and young adults addicted to the harmful product.
Despite repeated warnings to the cigarette companies, the tobacco companies are continuously violating the law. Against this backdrop, the tobacco companies should be punished in the interest of the public health of future generations, said the anti-tobacco activists.
They called for stopping the reckless campaigning to promote e-cigarette in the country.
The anti-tobacco activists made the call from a sit-in programme held in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in the capital on Wednesday (October 23).
Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA), an umbrella of leading anti-tobacco organisations in the country, arranged the event titled ‘Reckless Campaign of E-cigarettes to Make Young People Addicted; Companies Should be Brought under Punishment’.
Helal Ahmed, acting coordinator of BATA; presided over the event, while Moazzem Hossain Tipu, program coordinator of DAS; moderated it. Shagufta Sultana, project director of Aid Foundation; Syeda Ananya Rahman, head of program of WBB Trust; Farhana Zaman Liza, project manager of Tobacco Control & Research Cell (TCRC) of Dhaka International University; Abu Naser Anik, senior program officer of Aid Foundation; Ibrahim Khalil, project officer of BER; Abu Raihan, project officer at MANAS; and Samiul Hasan Sajib of WBB Trust; spoke on the occasion, among others.
Speakers at the sit-in programme demanded a ban on e-cigarettes in Bangladesh to save the younger generation of the country from adverse impact of the novel tobacco product.
They said that according to the tobacco control law, all forms of advertising and promotion of tobacco products are prohibited. However, tobacco companies have been advertising tobacco products at retail outlets in tactful manner. The tobacco companies are getting young people addicted to e-cigarettes through false advertising, they alleged.
The anti-tobacco activists said at least 47 countries including India have already banned the sale of e-cigarette due to its addictive and harmful nature.
It is very worrisome that beyond the capital, the tobacco product has reached the hands of the youths even in remote areas. With the direct support and financing of cigarette companies, restaurants in the capital city Dhaka have turned into smoking arenas. Such activities by tobacco companies conflict with the government’s public health and economic development efforts. Tobacco companies are in no way above the law.
Some of the speakers said that it is necessary to withdraw the government’s minimum shareholding from harmful tobacco companies.
The anti-tobacco activists placed eight-point recommendation from the sit-in programme. These include- Taking punitive action against tobacco companies that violate the law; Cancellation of licenses of shops that violate the law; Amendment to the tobacco control law; and Involving non-government organisations in monitoring the implementation of tobacco control law.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA) in a press statement argued that although concerted efforts continue in the country to control the tobacco use, the e-cigarette is a new health risk to public health. The use of this harmful tobacco product is increasing at an alarming rate among teenagers and young people, including students of schools and colleges.
“In the current context, the import policy of the Ministry of Commerce requires banning the import of e-cigarette and related products and withdrawing the HS codes of these products from the product list of the National Board of Revenue (NBR),” the BATA statement had said.
