Swift passage of amended tobacco control law urged

Staff Reporter :

Leaders from major professional organizations across Bangladesh have called for the immediate enactment of the proposed amendments to the country’s Tobacco Control Act.

The demand was raised at a seminar titled “Role and Future Actions of Professional Organizations in Strengthening the Tobacco Control Law for Public Health Protection,” held at the auditorium of Dhaka Ahsania Mission.

The call comes amid growing concern over the country’s tobacco epidemic, with around 37.8 million adults using tobacco and more than 161,000 people dying each year from tobacco-related diseases.

The seminar was presided over by Dr. Golam Rahman, President of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, while Iqbal Masud, Director of Health and WASH Sector, delivered the welcome address.

Shariful Islam, Coordinator of the Tobacco Control Project at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, presented findings from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2017. He revealed that 19.2 million people in Bangladesh are smokers and nearly 40 million are exposed to secondhand smoke, with an exposure rate of 42.7 percent.

He outlined the important role of professional associations in the amendment process and discussed future action plans.

Participants at the seminar included representatives from the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, Bangladesh Supermarket Owners Association, Bangladesh Inland Waterways (PC) Association, Bangladesh Grocery Business Association, Bangladesh United Workers Federation, Dhaka Metropolitan Shop Owners Association, and the National Shop Employees Federation.

These organisations noted that they had previously submitted memorandums and letters to the government in support of the proposed changes and commended the Health Services Division for preparing the draft amendments.

They also acknowledged the formation of a new advisory committee, consisting of nine advisors and three secretaries, to review the draft law.

The speakers emphasized that the key provisions of the amendment would significantly contribute to public health protection.

These provisions include eliminating designated smoking areas in public places, banning the display of tobacco products at points of sale, prohibiting the sale of single sticks of cigarettes and bidis, protecting youth from e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, banning corporate social responsibility activities by tobacco companies, and increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging from 50 to 90 percent.

Addressing misinformation spread by the tobacco industry, the speakers argued that passing the amendment would not harm government revenue.

On the contrary, they pointed out that since the original Tobacco Control Act was enacted in 2005 and amended in 2013, tobacco tax revenue has increased more than 12.5 times, while tobacco use declined by 18 percent between 2009 and 2017.

Youth forums and anti-tobacco organizations present at the seminar also expressed their strong support for the proposed amendments and joined the collective demand for the government to pass the revised law without delay.