Anti-tobacco campaigners on Tuesday called for an immediate ban on nicotine pouches in Bangladesh, expressing concern over a move by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) to formulate standards for the product, which they say could pave the way for its introduction into the local market.
The BSTI has recently initiated a process to formulate standards for nicotine pouches, a product considered harmful to public health, PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) said in a press release.
It has undertaken this initiative by forming a Tobacco and Tobacco Products Technical Committee, which does not include representatives from the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) and tobacco control organisations, they said, adding that the committee, however, includes representatives of tobacco companies.
PROGGA and ATMA expressed alarm, saying the involvement of tobacco companies in such a committee violates Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
They urged the government to impose a complete ban on nicotine pouches.
Nicotine pouches pose a serious threat to public health. Although tobacco companies promote these products as “relatively less harmful,” the World Health Organization (WHO) has clearly warned that, despite containing no tobacco leaf, nicotine pouches deliver high levels of nicotine.
This highly addictive substance can impair brain development in children and adolescents and increase the risks of cardiovascular disease and other health complications.
According to the WHO, adolescents and young adults are emerging as the largest consumers of these emerging tobacco products worldwide.
To protect public health and prevent nicotine addiction among young people, at least 16 countries, including Singapore, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Russia, have already imposed a complete ban on nicotine pouches, according to the press release.
Commenting on the issue, PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubair said, “Although the Ministry of Health had proposed a ban on nicotine pouches, it was not incorporated into the amended tobacco control law. Efforts are now underway to introduce and market the product in Bangladesh. Bangladesh should follow the example of other countries and impose a complete ban on nicotine pouches.”
According to PROGGA and ATMA, the initiative of a government institution to formulate a national standard for nicotine pouches is fundamentally inconsistent with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s declared “commitment to protecting future generations, including children and adolescents, from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine.”