Anti-tobacco organisations PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) on Tuesday urged the government to impose a complete ban on nicotine pouches, expressing concern over a Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) initiative to formulate standards for the product.
In a joint press release, the organisations alleged that BSTI recently formed a Tobacco and Tobacco Products Technical Committee to develop standards for nicotine pouches without including representatives from the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) or tobacco control organisations. However, they said the committee includes representatives of tobacco companies, which they argued violates Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
PROGGA and ATMA warned that nicotine pouches pose serious public health risks despite being marketed by tobacco companies as less harmful alternatives. Citing the WHO, they said the products deliver high levels of nicotine, which can impair brain development in children and adolescents and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and other health complications.
PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubair said efforts were underway to introduce nicotine pouches in Bangladesh despite an earlier proposal by the Ministry of Health to ban them. He urged Bangladesh to follow countries such as Singapore, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Russia, which have already prohibited the products.
The organisations also said the BSTI initiative contradicts Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's commitment to protecting children and adolescents from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine.
