20,000 citizens demand swift enactment of tobacco control ordinance

Nearly 20,000 citizens from different professions across the country have urged the government to quickly turn the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, into law.

An application signed by the citizens was submitted today (10 March) to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, the Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and the Prime Minister's Office, demanding that the ordinance be passed in the first session of the national parliament.

The petition was jointly submitted on behalf of citizens from diverse groups, including physicians, teachers, students, youth, women, journalists, and business professionals, by several anti-tobacco organisations.

These include Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP), National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, Nari Maitree, PROGGA, Power and Participation Research Centre and Tamak Birodhi Nari Jote.

According to the application, tobacco use is one of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh, including cancer, heart disease and lung diseases. Nearly 200,000 people die every year in the country due to tobacco-related illnesses.

The petition states that the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, has already been issued to strengthen tobacco control measures and make existing laws more effective in protecting public health.

However, if the ordinance is not approved in the first session of parliament, it will automatically lapse.

Representatives of the anti-tobacco organisations said the immediate passage of the ordinance into law is crucial to protect children, women and young people from the harmful effects of tobacco and to fulfil Bangladesh's international commitments on tobacco control.

They also urged the authorities concerned to take prompt and effective steps to ensure that the ordinance is enacted into law without delay.