The Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) has called for the immediate passage of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 in the very first session of the next parliament, warning that failure to do so would deal a serious blow to public health.
The demand was made at a meeting held at the BMA Bhaban in the capital on Thursday, where ATMA leaders also urged all stakeholders to remain vigilant against what they described as coordinated disinformation campaigns by the tobacco industry aimed at derailing the legislative process.
Speakers at the meeting said the ordinance, once enacted into law, would play a crucial role in preventing young people from initiating the use of emerging nicotine products and in reducing consumption of traditional tobacco items.
The proposed law would also protect women, children and non-smokers from exposure to second-hand smoke, ultimately helping to reduce tobacco-related deaths and economic losses.
They noted that although the ordinance has already been approved, it will become null and void if it is not passed within 30 days of being placed in the first session of the forthcoming national parliament.
Participants further alleged that unprecedented interference by the tobacco industry had led to the exclusion of several critical provisions from the final version of the ordinance. These include bans on the sale of loose tobacco products and mobile tobacco vending, the introduction of a mandatory retailer licensing system, and a complete prohibition on corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes run by tobacco companies.
Future policymakers, speakers said, must remain alert to continued industry pressure and resist attempts to weaken tobacco control measures.
According to information shared at the meeting, tobacco use among adults aged 15 and above stands at 35.3 percent in Bangladesh. Tobacco is the country’s fourth leading risk factor for premature deaths and disabilities, claiming nearly 200,000 lives each year.
The health and environmental damage caused by tobacco use and production costs the national economy an estimated Tk 87,000 crore annually, more than double the revenue generated from the tobacco sector, speakers added.
The meeting was attended by 56 ATMA members. Mizan Chowdhury, co-convenor of ATMA, and Hasan Shahriar, head of programmes at PROGGA, presented updates on ATMA’s ongoing activities and future plans.
Other speakers included Mir Masrur Zaman Rony, chief news editor of Channel I, Mortuza Haider Liton, convenor of ATMA, Nadira Kiron, co-convenor of ATMA, and ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA.
