Press Release, March 22 : Tobacco companies are using various misleading strategies to attract young people to smoking. They are promoting tobacco under the guise of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. To put an end to these manipulative tactics, young doctors have demanded amendments to the existing tobacco control law to strengthen its enforcement.

At a workshop titled “Young Physicians Leading the Fight Against Tobacco: Safeguarding Public” organized by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh on Saturday (March 22, 2025), medical students from various colleges across the country voiced this demand.

Citing the WHO, they stated that 161,253 people die prematurely in Bangladesh each year due to tobacco use. To reduce these preventable deaths, they called for amendments to six key provisions of the existing law in alignment with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

The proposed amendments include: Prohibiting designated smoking areas (DSAs) in all public places and public transport; Banning the display of tobacco products at points of sale; Completely prohibiting any form of CSR programs by tobacco companies; Banning e-cigarettes and all emerging tobacco products entirely; Increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packaging from 50% to 90% & Prohibiting the sale of loose cigarettes, unpackaged smokeless tobacco, and single-stick cigarettes.

Representatives from the National Heart Foundation stated that 35.3% of adults in Bangladesh use tobacco, and nearly 38.4 million non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places and public transport. Given this situation, the government has taken steps to amend the existing tobacco control law to protect non-smokers’ health. However, tobacco companies are obstructing the amendment process by providing misleading information about revenue loss and employment impact.

Analysis of data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) reveals that following the enactment of the tobacco control law in 2005, revenue from the cigarette sector increased by 17.97% and 37.52% in the next two fiscal years. Similarly, after the law was amended in 2013, cigarette revenue increased by 25.51% and 46.52% in the subsequent two fiscal years.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) 2021 data, there are only 196,341 retail shops selling food, beverages, and tobacco products together. This contradicts claims that strengthening tobacco control laws would cause significant job losses.

Young doctors at the workshop emphasized that despite knowing the harmful effects of tobacco, many people continue to use it. Raising awareness is crucial, and doctors must take the lead in educating people about the dangers of tobacco. They also stressed that in addition to awareness campaigns, the tobacco control law must be strengthened, and the price of tobacco products must be increased effectively to reduce tobacco consumption in the country.

The workshop was presided over by Professor Khondker Abdul Awal Rizvi, President of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh. Professor Fazila-Tun-Nesa Malik, Secretary-General of the foundation, delivered the welcome address. Also present at the event were Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of the Epidemiology and Research Department at the National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute; Sharf Uddin Ahmed Choudhury, Advisor to the Tobacco Control Program and Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka; Dr. Aruna Sarker, Coordinator of the program; and Abu Jafor, Communications Officer of the program, along with medical students from various Medical colleges across the country.