Amend Tobacco Control Act soon

Parliament members at a view exchange meeting on Tuesday urged the government to amend the Tobacco Control Act within the shortest period of time.

They said the country must be free of tobacco usage to achieve the Smart Bangladesh vision by 2041.

The view exchange meeting, titled “Tobacco Control Act and Contemporary Thoughts”, was organised by the private think-tank “Unnayan Shamannay” at Bishwa Sahitya Kendra auditorium at Bangla Motor area in the capital, said a press release.

Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament Advocate Md Shamsul Haque Tuku was the chief guest at the meeting also attended by lawmakers Md Abdul Aziz from Sirajganj, Pran Gopal Datta from Cumilla, Mohammad Shahiduzzaman from Meherpur, and Shamsun Nahar of women seat 13.

Former governor of Bangladesh Bank and Chairman of Unnayan Shamannay Professor Dr Atiur Rahman presented the keynote at the view-exchange.

At the event, Shamsul Haque Tuku said, “The country must be a tobacco-free nation first if we want to build a smart Bangladesh. Smart Bangladesh will be for strong and healthy young generations in which there is no space for tobacco.”

He said, “If we fail to make our citizens complete human beings, our efforts will go in vain. Hence, there is no option left other than amending the law as soon as possible.”

Prof Pran Gopal Datta opined that massive usage of tobacco can be reduced through comprehensive awareness campaigns and motivation. Any kind of bidi-cigarette usage during the election campaign needs to be strictly prohibited.

Prominent labour leader and lawmaker Shamsun Nahar noted that smoking is a common phenomenon among the labourers, and they face financial crises due to tobacco consumption. “They can be encouraged to quit smoking if the tobacco act is amended and enforced strictly. This will also result in their financial savings,” she added.

In his keynote Atiur Rahman said, “The Tobacco Control Act will be of international standard through the proposed amendment because it will be possible to safeguard the passive smokers from tobacco exposure. Besides, it will bar the youngsters from smoking.”

During the open discussion, different anti-tobacco organisations emphasised accelerating the amendment process.

They claimed that tobacco kills approximately 450 people on average every day in the country; so, a quick amendment of the act is most desired.

With an aim to make Bangladesh tobacco-free by 2040, relevant ministries have formulated a draft “Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Act-2013”.