Experts at a workshop on Tuesday voiced concern that the delay in finalizing the amendment to the Tobacco Control (TC) law is contributing to a rise in both the number of deaths and economic losses associated with tobacco consumption.
They also urged the government to take necessary steps to ensure smoke-free public places, as many people, including 61,000 children, suffer from various diseases due to exposure to secondhand smoke.
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The experts also urged the government to finalize the amendment to the law as early as possible, citing a study suggesting that the country incurred a loss of Tk4,100 crore solely due to passive smoking in 2017-18.
Anti-tobacco organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) arranged the workshop for journalists titled "Tobacco Control Law Amendment: Progress, Barriers, and Way Forward” at the Conference Room of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP).
A total of 30 journalists from print, television, and online media attended the workshop.
Dr. Maheen Malik, Regional Director of South Asia Programmes, Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids (CTFK), Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Bangladesh Lead Policy Advisor, CTFK, Zahirul Alam, Head of News, NTV, Liton Haider, Convenor, ATMA, Nadira Kiron, and Mizan Chowdhury, both Co-conveners, ATMA, and ABM Zubair, Executive Director, PROGGA, among others, spoke at the programme.
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Upon receiving approval from the Cabinet, the experts highlighted that the amendment process for the TC law would advance one step closer to finalization.
The draft amendment includes proposals such as the elimination of designated smoking areas (DSAs), banning so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs of tobacco companies, prohibiting the display of tobacco products at points-of-sale, banning the sale of loose sticks, and also prohibiting e-cigarettes and other vaping products.
They observed that the draft of the latest tobacco control law amendment, prepared by the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is based on global best practices.
Speakers noted that despite persistent interference from the tobacco industry, tobacco use prevalence is declining globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in every three adults worldwide used tobacco in 2000.
In 2022, they noted that the number had decreased to one in every five adults. However, 35.3 percent of adults in Bangladesh still use tobacco, resulting in 161,000 deaths annually.
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As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her vision to make Bangladesh a tobacco-free country by 2040, the experts said it is imperative to accelerate the amendments to tobacco control laws and ensure the process remains free from interference by the tobacco industry.