(Continued from previous issue)
Amendment to the existing tobacco control law is needed to save the public from the harmful effects of tobacco products.
According to a survey in Dhaka last year, taking advantage of loopholes in the law, tobacco companies are providing materials to vendors in different formats to promote their products. The tobacco companies are enticing and inducing restaurant owners to establish Designated Smoking Area (DSA) and display advertisements for tobacco products.
Tobacco companies take advantage of a provision which does not specifically mention a ban on displaying products at retail shops. The companies strategically pressurise vendors to display advertisement and promotional materials. Financial and non-cash incentives are provided at all levels of distribution. Promotional materials include stickers, posters, branded lighters, stands displaying cigarette packets, and small cigarette cases, it said.
The study recommended that, existing Tobacco Control Act should be strengthened by amending the provisions to include a comprehensive ban on product display at PoS. It also suggested removing the provisions for designated smoking areas from all types of restaurants and other public places in order to protect public health, especially youth, children and women.
A number of organizations, including Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM), have stressed strengthening the Tobacco Control Law through bringing an amendment immediately.
Enactment of strict Tobacco Control Act and its proper enforcement to reduce the use of tobacco products is a recognized system across the world. Bringing necessary amendment to law is one of the several packages, adopted by WHO, for tobacco control. A strong Tobacco Control law can save people from tobacco-related health risks and economic and environmental losses by reducing the use of tobacco in the country.
Hence, it is imperative to upgrade the existing Act up to global standard by amending it as per the present need.
Anti-tobacco organizations said, to do so, it is needed to ban smoking in all forms at all public places, work places and public transports by abolishing Designated Smoking Areas (DSA); to ban display of tobacco products at sale centres (Points of Sale); to fully ban any Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities of tobacco companies; ban on selling single stick or retail sale of cigarettes or bidis and also unpackaged sale of smokeless tobacco products; ban on the sale and imports of all types of emerging tobacco products, including e-cigarettes; to fix the size/area of packets, covers, cartoons or cans of all kinds of tobacco products including smokeless tobacco and also determine how much minimum quantity of tobacco products those should contain, and illustrated health warnings on wraps of all tobacco products should be increased to 90% from 50%.
Noted anti-tobacco campaigner Arup Ratan opined for strengthening the Tobacco Act and its proper enforcement for tobacco control.
Iqbal Masud, Director of Health and Wash Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, said if we fail to remove the flaws in the law, it would be tough to achieve our desired goal. Many countries in the world have been benefitted in different ways after amending their laws on tobacco.
“We would be able to make our country tobacco free by 2040 along with protection of public health and reduction of economic loss if necessary amendment to the law is made and enforced effectively”, he said.
Sources said, 152 lawmakers in June last year in a letter to the Health Minister urged him to amend the law and save people’s lives from the harmful effects of tobacco.
Experts said, if Bangladesh fails to curb its tobacco use through an effective amendment to the tobacco control law, tobacco related deaths, exacerbated by ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and any other future health crises, will skyrocket to the level of an epidemic.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has seriously underscored the need for achieving a tobacco-free Bangladesh. WHO has already identified that tobacco products help Covid-19 infections spread due to frequent hand-mouth contact of the users.
According to WHO, smokers are at higher risk of developing severe Covid-19 outcomes and death, compared to non-smokers. Even victims of secondhand smoking are also at an equally higher risk than non-smokers.
Strong measures needed to be taken immediately for reducing tobacco use to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the use of tobacco products poses risk to public health, it would be tough for us to achieve SDG targets without controlling tobacco, as SDG 3 calls for ensuring healthy live and well-being of all, they added.
Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, a noted economist and Convener of National Anti-tobacco Platform, said the obligation of safeguarding public health is one of the key foundations of Bangladesh’s state policies, according to Article 18(1) of Bangladesh’s Constitution. “The right to life” is protected under Article 32 of the Constitution.
“Bangladesh government is also a signatory to FCTC and has enacted tobacco control legislation in accordance with the Convention. Target-3A under 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for implementation of the FCTC. Bangladesh’s 8th Five-Year Plan (FYP) also emphasises this requirement”, he observed.
“Bangladesh’s current goals of implementing SDGs by 2030, achieving higher middle-income country status by 2031 and moving towards becoming a developed nation by 2041 are also in conflict with the massive toll, in terms of injuries to health and consequent deaths that tobacco inflicts on people”, he added.
Hence, Kholiquzzaman said, a strong legislation consistent with the goal sets the stage for bolder and more effective measures. This is particularly true for tobacco control.
Experts said, a comprehensive and strong tobacco control law is essential to realise a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 and tackle any other epidemics or major health crises similar to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. There is no alternative to amending the tobacco control law at the earliest.

The author is a freelance journalist