Speakers demand swift passage of tobacco control law amendment

Staff Reporter :

Health experts, former bureaucrats, and youth advocates have called for the immediate passage of the proposed amendment to the Smoking and Tobacco Products (Control) Law to protect public health and move towards a tobacco-free Bangladesh.

At a national seminar held on Tuesday at the CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka, organised by the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP), speakers said the amendment-prepared by the Health Services Division in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)-is crucial to safeguarding the next generation.

The event, titled “The Urgent Need to Pass Proposed Amendment to the Tobacco Control Law for Public Health Protection,” began with a welcome address by DORP Founder and Chief Executive A.H.M. Noman, followed by a keynote presentation from Mohammad Zobair Hasan, Deputy Executive Director of DORP.

In his paper, Hasan outlined the six key provisions in the draft amendment, including eliminating designated smoking areas in public places and transport, banning the display of tobacco products at points of sale, prohibiting corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by tobacco companies, introducing stronger protections for children and young people from e-cigarettes, banning the sale of loose or single sticks of tobacco products.

Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Director General of the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC), reminded the audience that tobacco-related diseases claim 161,000 lives in Bangladesh every year-an average of 442 deaths per day-while leaving millions more ill.