Calling it a landmark step to safeguard public health, the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) on Thursday demanded that the recently approved Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 be passed in the first parliamentary session following the upcoming election.

The demand was made during a meeting held at BMA Bhaban in the capital.

The organization also urged all concerned stakeholders to remain vigilant against concerted disinformation campaigns conducted by the tobacco industry, intended to undermine and obstruct the legislative process.

During the meeting, speakers said that the tobacco control ordinance, once enacted into law in the parliament, will prevent the new generation from initiating the use of emerging nicotine products and discourage the use of other traditional tobacco products.

Speakers also said that due to the unprecedented level of interference from the tobacco industry, some of the most critical proposed provisions—including banning the sale of loose tobacco products, banning mobile sale of tobacco products, introducing a mandatory retailer licensing system to sell tobacco products, and ensuring a complete ban on corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs of tobacco companies—have been excluded from the finalized ordinance. Future policymakers must remain alert against such aggression by the tobacco industry.

E-cigarettes, emerging tobacco products fully banned in Bangladesh

Though tobacco, the fourth major risk factor behind premature deaths and disabilities in Bangladesh, claims nearly 200,000 lives each year in the country, the prevalence of tobacco use among adults (15 years and above) stands at 35.3 percent, they said.

They added that the toll on public health and the environment inflicted by tobacco use and production causes the national economy a loss of BDT 87,000 crore, which is more than twice the size of revenue generated from the tobacco sector.

During the meeting, attended by 56 members of the organization, Mizan Chowdhury, Co-convenor of ATMA, and Hasan Shahriar, Head of Programs, PROGGA, presented ongoing activities of ATMA and its way forward.

Mir Masrur Zaman Rony, Chief News Editor of Channel I; Mortuza Haider Liton, Convenor of ATMA; Nadira Kiron, Co-convenor of ATMA; and ABM Zubair, Executive Director, PROGGA, also spoke.