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The government is committed to taking stringent measures against tobacco and nicotine products to protect public health and build a tobacco- and drug-free society, State Minister for Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin said on Monday.
He stressed that comprehensive action against tobacco use was essential to prevent non-communicable diseases and protect the younger generation from nicotine addiction.
The state minister made the remarks while addressing a discussion titled “Amended Tobacco Control Act 2026 and the Way Forward for Public Health Protection” at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka. Dhaka Ahsania Mission organised the event, with him attending as the chief guest.
Mir Helal said the government was committed to implementing necessary legal reforms and strategic policies to protect young people from the harmful effects of nicotine.
He said existing laws were being strictly enforced to guide adolescents and young people towards healthy social and moral practices. However, legislation and government initiatives alone would not be enough to address the problem, making widespread public awareness and collective social action essential.
Expressing concern over the growing public use of e-cigarettes and other nicotine products, the state minister said some unscrupulous businesses were using attractive advertisements to lure young people into addiction for higher profits.
He said the relevant authorities had been instructed to take strict legal action against manufacturers, importers and marketers involved in such activities.
The government is also encouraging tobacco farmers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to switch to alternative cash crops, including cotton, by providing incentives, he said.
Mir Helal added that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had accorded the highest priority to the health sector and was taking initiatives to strengthen preventive healthcare.
Speakers at the meeting said around 37.8 million people in Bangladesh used tobacco products, while tobacco-related diseases caused approximately 200,000 premature deaths annually.
They estimated that tobacco use inflicted economic losses of around Tk 87,000 crore on the country each year.
The speakers called for an immediate ban on the production, import and sale of e-cigarettes and other emerging nicotine products. They also urged the government to finalise the implementing rules for the amended Tobacco Control Act 2026 promptly to ensure its effective enforcement.
Dhaka Ahsania Mission President Professor Dr Golam Rahman chaired the discussion, while Akhtar-uz-Zaman, director general of the National Tobacco Control Cell, attended as a special guest.
Representatives of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, its youth forum and various anti-tobacco organisations also took part in the meeting.
