Speakers at a webinar here have alleged that tobacco companies are reluctant to implement graphic health warnings on packets of tobacco products.
They accused many tobacco companies of applying tactics over the use of graphic heath warnings, as they don’t print clear pictures on tobacco packets.
The speakers, however, said that the rate of graphic health warnings on the packaging of smokeless tobacco products is comparatively weak. As a result, the aim and objective of graphic health warnings on tobacco products are being hampered in the country.
Tobacco Control & Research Cell (TCRC) of Dhaka International University arranged the webinar on ‘Graphic Health Warnings: A Comparative Analysis of Global and Regional Perspectives’ on Sunday.
TCRC’s researcher Ashiqul Islam Khan presented a keynote at the webinar, while research assistant of TCRC Farhana Zaman Liza moderated it. TCRC’s member secretary Md Bazlur Rahman delivered the welcome speech. The event was addressed, among others by coordinator of Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA) Saifuddin Ahmed, general secretary of Pratyasha Anti-Drug Organisation Helal Ahmed, Director of WBB Trust Gaus Piari, Aminul Islam Bakul, Ataur Rahman Masud, Nasir Uddin Sheikh, Shariful Islam and Kazi Sohel Rana.
In the keynote, Ashiqul Islam Khan said that it has been proved in research that the graphic health warnings create awareness among common people and for this reason, the rate of tobacco use among people decreases.
In 2016, five Asian countries printed pictures of tobacco products, he said adding that the pictures have already been changed in four countries, but not in Bangladesh.
He said the pictures, which were printed in four years ago, are still now seen in the packets of tobacco products. The tobacco companies in Bangladesh are not changing graphic health warnings regularly, he added.
He also said that neighboring countries India, Nepal and Sri Lanka are also leading the way in implementing graphic health warnings.
Ashiqul Islam Khan placed some recommendations for proper implementation of the graphic health warnings. The recommendations include use of large size of graphic health warnings, use of more effective images by changing the current pictures, and regular monitoring.