78% of country’s e-cigarette shops opened in 5 years: Study

Tobacco sector players have been applying various tactics to rapidly expand e-cigarette markets so that they can carry on businesses, ignoring the government's goal of building a 'Tobacco-free Bangladesh' by 2040, according to a study.

"Once e-cigarette or vape shops were found only in posh areas of Dhaka. Now, they are available across the country. At least 78% of these shops opened in the past five years, from 2017 to 2021," reads the research report, titled "Bangladesh Tobacco Industry Tactics for Novel Product Expansion".

Ehsanul Haque, a journalist and PhD researcher at Dhaka University, and Syed Saiful Alam, a researcher on tobacco control, carried out the study over six months in 2022 and revealed their findings in a seminar on Tuesday. The Inter Press Network organised the seminar at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital.

The study recommends imposing a ban on e-cigarettes in Bangladesh through legislation and the formation of a separate committee under the National Tobacco Control Cell to oversee the e-cigarette market.

"Although the number of smokers has been on the decline in proportion to the growing population, the use of e-cigarettes has been on a rapid rise. It is becoming popular among the youth due to various tactics and promotional activities by the giant tobacco companies," Ehsanul Haque and Syed Saiful Alam said while presenting their findings.

If the activities of tobacco companies continue in e-cigarette expansion, the goal of making Bangladesh tobacco-free by 2040 won't be achieved amid a huge increase of vapers. So, e-cigarettes must be stopped soon, said the duo.

Association For the Prevention of Drug Abuse Founder President Prof Arup Ratan Choudhury, former NBR Chairman Nasir Uddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Cancer Society Director Golam Mohiuddin Faruque, Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin, and Inter Press Network Executive Director Md Golam Mowla, among others, spoke at the event.

"Vaping has become a gateway to drug addiction. Many youths who come to drug rehabilitation centres first used e-cigarettes, then became drug addicts," Arup Ratan Choudhury said.

Golam Mohiuddin Faruque said e-cigarette is undoubtedly dangerous to health. It contains dangerous chemicals, causing lung disease, heart disease and some other diseases. The government should ban e-cigarettes in Bangladesh before it becomes an epidemic.
 
"Some transnational tobacco companies and some platforms backed by the companies are providing false, confusing and misleading information over e-cigarettes as part of their move to thwart the 'Tobacco-free Bangladesh' goal," added Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin.

Nasir Uddin Ahmed called for banning e-cigarette imports in Bangladesh. He demanded an immediate amendment to the tobacco control laws.

The study found that e-cigarettes are mostly promoted to youths and students, the largest population group in the country, through social media. 80% of vaping shops use both online platforms and social networking sites to expand their e-cigarette businesses, while 94% of shops use social networking sites for reaching customers.

32 brands of e-cigarette products from multinational tobacco companies were found in vaping shops. In many places, e-cigarettes are being sold under the direct supervision of some giant tobacco companies. The study found that a leading tobacco company is selling e-cigarettes in Bangladesh. The company runs at least 39 outlets in Dhaka city from behind the scenes.

According to the study, many tobacco companies have silently taken trademark registration for many e-cigarette brands. Importing e-cigarettes through getting approval from the authorities concerned is part of the tactics for legalisation, while trademark registration is another tactic. Some giant multinational tobacco companies have taken trademark registrations for some e-cigarette products, which have not yet come to Bangladesh.

"Tobacco companies are also taking advantage of the provision of 'Designated Smoking Area' to expand the e-cigarette market and increase its users in Bangladesh," it found.