The country’s leading tobacco control (TC) organizations express deep concern over government’s decision to remove the ban on e cigarettes and display of tobacco products at the point-of-sale from the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2025. Evidence shows that emerging tobacco products such as e‑cigarettes are detrimental to public health and often serve as a gateway for young people to nicotine addiction, while display at the point-of-sale entices and promotes tobacco use and increases uptake among children and adolescents.
The anti-tobacco organizations stated that the removal of these vital provisions weakens Bangladesh’s tobacco control commitment and leaves the door open to aggressive industry exploitation. This is contradictory to the BNP’s election commitment to strengthen tobacco control measures.
Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, former caretaker government adviser and prominent economist, stated: “We call on the government and Parliament to restore these provisions immediately. Public health and protecting the youth from addiction must come before narrow profit interests.”
Notably, tobacco claims nearly 200,000 lives each year in Bangladesh. The toll on public health and the environment inflicted by tobacco use and production costs the national economy BDT 87,000 crore, which is more than twice the revenue generated by the tobacco sector. Currently, the prevalence of tobacco use among adults (15 years and above) stands at 35.3 percent. Against this backdrop, unless effective tobacco control legislation is implemented, the harms and losses caused by tobacco will continue to escalate.
