Lawyers believe that it is necessary to quickly ban harmful e-cigarettes to protect public health and the young generation. There is an urgent need to stop the manufacture, production, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of e-cigarettes in the country before it becomes dangerous. It will also reduce the health costs of non-communicable diseases caused by e-cigarettes, including tobacco. Legislation is urgently needed to curb the prevalence of e-cigarette use in Bangladesh.
Emphasizing on the subject, the lawyers who came to a workshop titled ÒRegulation of E-Cigarettes and Its Legal Remedy’ organized by Dhaka International University’s Tobacco Control and Research Cell (TCRC) on Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 11 am at Six Seasons Hotel in Gulshan, the above Claim.
The workshop was presided over by Barrister Shamim Haider Patwari, President of Tobacco Control and Research Cell (TCRC) and Chairman of Trustee Board of Dhaka International University. TCRC project director and associate professor Md. Bazlur Rahman delivered the welcome speech. Keynote presentation by Farhana Zaman Liza, Project Manager, TCRC. The workshop was attended by, among others, Assistant Attorney General of the Supreme Court Sultan Mahmood Banna, Supreme Court Advocate and Secretary of the Public Health Lawyers Network Barrister Nishat Mahmud, Barrister Sanwar Hossain, Barrister Jewel Sarkar, Lawyers of the Public Health Lawyers Network, Supreme Court And High Court lawyers. Senior technical officer and lawyer Syed Mahbubul Alam of Vital Strategies and Fahmida Islam, Bangladesh Focal Point of Jhangch, and faculty members of Law Department and Research Department of Dhaka International University were present as experts in the event.
Multinational tobacco companies in Bangladesh are promoting harmful and intoxicating products like e-cigarettes, various illegal promotions, illegal events, attracting young people by showing scenes of e-cigarettes in dramas and movies, illegal advertising and buying and selling through social media. Youth is leading the society on the path of destruction. They are also trying to legalize e-cigarettes in the country through various covert activities.
Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or vapes, are highly addictive products. According to the World Health Organization, e-cigarettes contain propylene glycol, glycerin, acrolein, aerosol, benzene, polyethylene glycol, along with various harmful chemicals, about 8,000 different harmful flavors that cause serious health risks. Companies are promoting and marketing e-cigarettes as ‘less harmful’, ‘a way to quit smoking’ and a ‘healthy and trendy product’, which actually piques the interest of teenagers. According to a Japanese study, e-cigarettes are ten times more harmful than regular cigarettes. A study in Poland found that nearly one million people in that country are addicted to e-cigarettes or vaping, with more than half addicted to both regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Australia has identified e-cigarettes as a major health risk in their country. A more dire picture of e-cigarette use is emerging in various studies. 132 countries around the world have already regulated and banned e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are banned and regulated in various countries including our neighboring countries India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia. E-cigarette usage in Bangladesh was 0.2% in 2017, but it has already increased due to the campaigns and promotions of these companies.
Speakers in the event said that the use of e-cigarettes has increased in the country recently. With the convenience of different sizes of e-cigarettes, children are using it easily without the eyes of their parents. E-cigarettes have been found in the school bags of several school children in Dhaka. Companies are also illegally hooking young people to e-cigarettes through various underhand activities. So it is time to ban all e-cigarette products in Bangladesh before the situation gets worse.
