Govt to strengthen tobacco control law: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud stated that the government has initiated further strengthening of the tobacco control law to realise the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Tobacco Free Bangladesh by 2040.

Minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at a session titled ‘Opinion Exchange with Media Professionals about Strengthening the Tobacco Control Law’, organised by Unnayan Shamannay at the Bishwo Shahitto Kendo Bhaban, Dhaka on Tuesday.

The session was chaired by the organisation Chair and former Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Dr Atiur Rahman. Media professionals from print and electronic media houses participated in the opinion exchange session.

Hasan Mahmud thanked the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for initiating the process and committed to providing any support needed to strengthen the said law. Pointing out that the proposed amendment to the law will ban e-cigarettes, he urged the NBR and other related authorities to take necessary steps to prohibit the import of e-cigarettes.

He also urged the media professionals to help mobilise public opinion to strengthen the tobacco control law. He also opined that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Law should be engaged in public discourses to expedite the processes.

In his discussion, Dr Atiur Rahman pointed out that the main goals of the proposed amendment are to safeguard non-smokers from the indirect effects of smoking and to discourage young citizens from initiating smoking/tobacco use. He also inferred that the rumors about possible job losses or shopkeepers losing business due to the strengthening of tobacco control laws are baseless. 

A presentation from Unnayan Shamannay identified the proposed amendment to the tobacco control law to be a timely and pro-people one. It has been inferred that this amendment will lift Bangladesh’s tobacco control law to global standards if finalised. This will especially contribute to reducing tobacco use's economic and health impacts. For example, suppose the provision of maintaining designated smoking areas (DSAs) is canceled as proposed in the amendment.