Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority’s (BEZA) approval for a ‘nicotine pouch’ factory not only defies High Court directives but also contradicts the government’s public health policy, posing a serious threat to the country’s youth.
‘Nicotine pouch’ is a new addiction tool for tobacco companies, used orally, highly addictive, and particularly appealing to young people.
Around 34 countries-including the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, and France-have banned due to its severe health risks, following warnings from the World Health Organization.
The approval granted to Philip Morris to manufacture nicotine pouches should be revoked to safeguard public health.
Speakers made these remarks at a protest titled “Cancel the Approval of the Disease-Causing ‘Nicotine Pouch’ Factory”, jointly organized by the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA) and Bangladesh Tobacco Control Advocates (BTCA) on the main road in front of BEZA in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Thursday.
The event was attended by BTCA convener Iqbal Masud, local government specialist Sagufta Sultana, tobacco control researcher Farahana Zaman Liza, Aid Foundation Senior Project Officer Abu Naser Anik, MANAS Project Coordinator Umme Jannat, BATA Office Secretary Syeda Ananya Rahman, NATB Project Manager Firoz Ahmed, among others, and was moderated by tobacco control activist Abu Raihan.
The speakers emphasized that nicotine pouches are not a safe alternative to smoking and criticized the decision as a means to introduce a new form of addiction.
They highlighted studies showing that nicotine pouches harm the mouth, gums, lungs, liver, and kidneys, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, and seriously affect adolescent brain development.
In other words, under the guise of reducing smoking, there is an attempt to foster a new addiction.
They also recalled that in 2016, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court had explicitly directed that no new tobacco company or factory should be approved in the country, advising existing companies to transition to other industries.
The BEZA approval, therefore, violates public health, the state’s constitutional duty under Article 18(1), and the Supreme Court’s directives.
Speakers further stated that the decision is morally unacceptable, as no organization has the right to promote new addictions under the pretext of public health.
They noted that in the presence of the Chief Advisor of the government, 35 ministries had pledged to work together to control non-communicable diseases, and the proposed amendment to the Tobacco Control Act by the Ministry of Health explicitly calls for banning such nicotine products.
At the protest’s end, BATA and BTCA submitted a memorandum to BEZA’s Executive Chairman demanding the immediate revocation of Philip Morris’s approval, accountability for rule violations, strict limits on harmful product approvals, and active promotion of a tobacco-free Bangladesh.
