Bangladesh urged to reinstate e-cigarette ban

Leading tobacco control groups in Bangladesh have called on the government to reimpose the ban on e-cigarettes and the public display of tobacco products at retail stores.

They expressed concern over the removal of these provisions from the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2025.

The call came in a joint statement by several groups, including the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, and the National Heart Foundation.

According to the organizations, e-cigarettes pose health risks and can drive young people toward nicotine addiction. They also warned that displaying tobacco products at points of sale encourages children and teenagers to start using tobacco.

They said scrapping these measures could weaken the country’s tobacco control efforts and allow companies to promote their products more aggressively.

Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, former caretaker government adviser and economist, said: “We call on the government and parliament to restore these provisions immediately. Public health and protecting the youth from addiction must come before narrow profit interests.”

The organizations also noted that tobacco causes nearly 200,000 deaths annually in Bangladesh and leads to economic losses of about Tk87,000 crore—more than twice the revenue generated from the sector. Currently, 35.3% of adults in the country use tobacco.

They urged the government to take stronger measures to curb tobacco use and safeguard future generations.