Experts call for stricter tobacco laws to combat preventable deaths
They spoke at the inaugural ceremony of a mini-marathon titled “Call for Stronger Tobacco Control Laws” held in front of Zia Udyan at 7am in the capital today (27 February)
Strengthening the tobacco control law through necessary amendments can help reduce preventable deaths and associated medical expenses, experts have said.
They spoke at the inaugural ceremony of a mini-marathon titled "Call for Stronger Tobacco Control Laws" held in front of Zia Udyan at 7am in the capital today (27 February).
More than 200 participants took part in the marathon, organised by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.
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The marathon was inaugurated by Md Rezaul Maksud Jahedi, secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and was chaired by Khondker Abdul Awal Rizvi, president of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.
During the event, the speakers highlighted that 35.3% of Bangladeshi adults use tobacco, with 18% smoking and 20.6% consuming smokeless tobacco products. Additionally, 6.9% of students aged 13-15 use tobacco, posing a severe threat to the health of future generations, they said.
They also said tobacco use causes 161,253 premature deaths annually in Bangladesh, while the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases exceeds Tk42,000 crore each year.
The speakers said to safeguard future generations and align with global standards, Bangladesh's tobacco control law must be amended to eliminate designated smoking areas, ban tobacco product displays and CSR activities, protect youth from emerging tobacco products, increase graphic health warning sizes to 90% from 50%, and prohibit the sale of single cigarettes and loose tobacco products.
