Dhaka, Oct 21 (UNB)- PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), a research and advocacy organization, and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) have expressed profound concern over Philip Morris’s initiative to establish a nicotine pouch manufacturing factory in Bangladesh, allegedly in violation of the directive issued by the Chief Adviser’s Office.

The two organizations also remarked that this step contradicts the government’s ongoing efforts to protect public health.

According to PROGGA and ATMA, in May 2025, the Chief Adviser’s Office prohibited establishment of any factory for producing e-cigarettes, Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) devices, and other related products in Bangladesh. Earlier, on 1 January, the Ministry of Commerce banned the import of all e-cigarettes and ENDS-related products through a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO). A nicotine pouch is also a means of consuming nicotine without smoking or chewing tobacco. These pouches, typically infused with flavorings and various chemicals, have been marketed globally as next-generation nicotine products.

The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority’s approval allowing Philip Morris to set up a nicotine pouch factory in the Meghna Industrial Economic Zone for domestic sales, including provisions for raw material imports, constitutes a clear violation of government directives. Despite their branding as “less harmful,” international organizations, including World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have alerted that nicotine pouches pose severe health risks similar to traditional smokeless tobacco products. Nicotine pouches and similar new-generation products are gaining popularity rapidly among children, teenagers, and young adults, posing a threat to public health.

At least 34 countries, including Belgium, Russia, Uzbekistan, and France, have already banned or firmly regulated the sale of nicotine pouches.

In response, ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA, said, “Granting permission to establish a nicotine pouch factory clearly violates the directive of the Chief Adviser’s Office. The government must act immediately to cancel this approval.”

The draft amendment to the Tobacco Control Law also proposes a complete ban on the manufacture, import, sale, and marketing of nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes, vapes, ENDS, heated tobacco products, and similar items. PROGGA and ATMA urge the government to finalise the amendment to the Tobacco Control Law as soon as possible to protect public health.