Market & legal data in the tobacco alternatives sector in Bangladesh

8th November 2024: Bangladesh: The Advisory Council of Interim Government has sent the draft of amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act back to a committee headed by the economic and finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, due to its implications for the country’s fiscal revenue. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Advisory Council chaired by the country’s chief adviser (interim prime minister) Muhammad Yunus. The committee will be tasked with reviewing the draft amendments, press reports.
24th October 2024: Bangladesh: The interim government initiated the amendment of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, introducing an ordinance that will tighten tobacco control by banning the sale of e-cigarettes, loose cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco. It will also require shopkeepers to obtain a licence for selling tobacco products, with penalties of BDT50,000 ($420) for non-compliance and stricter fines for selling near schools, hospitals or public venues. The bill is likely to pass, and it would have significant implications for Bangladesh’s economic context. It had already been supported by the previous government, which was ousted in August this year.
23rd October 2024: Bangladesh: During a press conference held yesterday (22nd October) in Kawran Bazar, Dhaka, the Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (Bendsta) called for sensible regulation on on alternative tobacco products to pursue a harm-reduction approach. Bendsta’s president Schumann Zaman said vapes should not be placed in the same category as cigarettes, as they can be tools of harm reduction. Bendsta also invited the government to engage with the association in an evidence-based dialogue to craft policies that align with Bangladesh’s public health agenda.
15th October 2024: Bangladesh: A recent report on two decades of tobacco control in Southeast Asia highlighted Bangladesh’s success in implementing measures under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). The country’s National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) has efficiently utilised tobacco tax revenues to fund health initiatives and awareness campaigns. Despite these achievements, the report noted ongoing challenges – including the illicit tobacco trade and the emergence of new tobacco products.
15th October 2024: Bangladesh: Nari Maitree, a development non-governmental organisation (NGO), held a round table on 9th October to emphasise the role of journalists in advancing a tobacco-free Bangladesh. The discussion highlighted the urgency of amending tobacco control laws, focusing on youth addiction to e-cigarettes and the harmful effects of secondhand smoke on women and children. Experts and media representatives called for stricter regulations in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to reduce tobacco use and safeguard public health. The Nari Maitree organisation is a prominent actor in the country. It works towards a more equitable society, with health development – through tobacco control, among other initiatives – being one of the key steps towards achieving equality.
10th October 2024: Bangladesh: A round-table discussion on creating a “tobacco-free Bangladesh” emphasised the need for greater media involvement in reducing tobacco use, along with amendments to tobacco laws that would ban e-cigarette production, prohibit single-stick cigarette sales, and strengthen health warnings on tobacco packaging.
1st October 2024: Bangladesh: The National Board of Revenue’s Large Taxpayers Unit has issued a notice to British American Tobacco (BAT) Bangladesh for a tax recovery of BDT2.1bn ($18m), claiming the company has deprived the government of customs duty and VAT due to its pricing strategies following the tax hike in the fiscal year 2024 to 2025.
1st October 2024: Bangladesh: Health experts have proposed a nationwide ban on e-cigarettes, alongside increasing taxes on tobacco products, tightening tobacco control laws and halting advertising campaigns by tobacco companies. These suggestions were presented during a workshop titled “Empowering Young Physicians for Tobacco Control in Bangladesh”, which linked tobacco use to non-communicable diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes, indicating that the scientific community in Bangladesh is taking a stricter approach towards all tobacco products.
27th September 2024: Bangladesh: At the Anti-Tobacco Youth Convention 2024, participants proposed amendments to the draft Tobacco Control Law aimed at reducing tobacco use. Key proposals included banning the import, production and marketing of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs), restricting retail and public sales of tobacco, prohibiting product displays at points-of-sale, eliminating smoking areas in public spaces and transport, banning tobacco companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging from 50% to 90%. The forum’s proposals to amend the Tobacco Control Law would enforce measures that, if adopted, would strengthen public health policies in the country. It was organised by the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP), which has successfully advocated for development initiatives – such as maternity allowances.
26th September 2024: Bangladesh: Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Dhaka Ahsania Mission has emphasised the need to amplify the voices of young people to reduce tobacco consumption at a workshop titled “Skill Development Training for Young Campaigners in Building a Tobacco-Free Bangladesh”. Public health experts Muhammad Mahbub Kaiser, assistant proctor and associate professor of sociology at Dhaka University, and Imam Zafar Shikder, director of the Youth and Volunteer Department at the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, said that e-cigarettes do not have a role to play in smoking cessation and should be banned, as they will otherwise contribute to the tobacco health epidemic that already claims 442 lives a day in Bangladesh.
18th September 2024: Bangladesh: The Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) criticised the country’s tobacco tax structure, calling it “flawed” due to the low cost and easy accessibility of tobacco products. The ATMA highlighted that 161,000 people die annually from tobacco-related causes in Bangladesh and argued that the tax system fails to discourage tobacco use by not raising prices. This approach is in contrast to global policies that aim to reduce tobacco consumption by increasing taxes.
17th September 2024: Bangladesh: Stop Tobacco Bangladesh, an anti-tobacco group based on social media, has called for a ban on films that violate the country’s tobacco control laws by showing cigarette use, and for punitive measures against those responsible. The organisation noted that, despite laws prohibiting tobacco use in films and similar platforms, the Bangladeshi entertainment industry continues to promote smoking and tobacco consumption.

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LATEST ALERTS

Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in Bangladesh

Bangladesh budget proposes spike in taxes to get harm down and revenue up

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Bangladesh: oral tobacco and nicotine pouch regulation, August 2024

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