MPs urge ban on tobacco product sales at open markets
Member of Parliament Sayeda Rubina Akter also called for the concerned authority to arrange alternative employment for tobacco sector workers
Members of Parliament (MP) Sayeda Rubina Akter and Abida Anjum Mita urged a ban on tobacco products sales at open markets and their direct and indirect advertisement.
The MPs came up with these remarks while attending a programme, arranged by the Anti-Tobacco Alliance on Friday afternoon.
Sayeda Rubina Akter said, "We have to think about the control of tobacco production before controlling its uses, distribution and marketing. The process of getting a license for tobacco sales needs to be made tougher at every stage and this will help us to control tobacco's uses."
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She also called for the concerned authority to arrange alternative employment for tobacco sector workers.
Abida Anjum Mita said the use of jorda (chewing tobacco) and gul (oral tobacco powder) among women is common in rural regions and causes various diseases, including mouth cancer. Jorda should be completely banned, she opined.
Additionally, necessary steps should be taken to reduce the use of gul. Nowadays, the popularity of cigarettes is on the rise as a fashion among adolescents in the cities. Steps have to be taken to stop this trend, she added.
They also urged the government to correct existing tobacco control laws in order to mitigate the harmful effect of tobacco on the young in society.
