11 organisations demand ban on e-cigarette
Tobacco companies tactfully inspiring youths to consume e-cigarettes
With the theme "Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use," the World No Tobacco Day 2020 is being observed across the country on Sunday.
Based on the theme, 11 organisations have asked for banning e-cigarettes, according to a press release issued Sunday by the Bangladesh Network for Tobacco Tax Policy (BNTTP).
The organisations include Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust, Bangladesh Tamak Birodhi Jote, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, National Anti Tuberculosis Association of Bangladesh and BNTTP among others.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
According to the statement, e-cigarette (or vaping) is a new type of tobacco product to attract the youths.
Tobacco companies are tactfully inspiring the youths to consume the products. Annually, 1.26 lakh people die of tobacco use in Bangladesh, and the tobacco companies target the youths to fill the gaps, read the BNTTP statement.
Currently, the tobacco companies have targeted the youths in the low and middle income countries, says a research paper from The Union.
So, it would be tough to follow the implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by the World Health Organisation.
At an event held marking the day, Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary, a member of the parliament, said that e-cigarette was termed an epidemic in the USA.
"As the number of e-cigarette users is lower in our country, it is high time to ban it," he said.
Syed Mahbubul Alam, technical adviser of The Union in Bangladesh, said that 24 countries have banned e-cigarettes.
"It is important to ban e-cigarettes in Bangladesh through formulation of law," he said.
"To attract youths, tobacco companies are producing various advertisements which are illegal," he added.
