Tobacco Cos defy TC Law with blank pack ads

Doors of the retail stores are being attractively decorated with empty tobacco products’ packets supplied by tobacco companies in different parts of the country. This is a tricky way to continue promoting tobacco products to attract smokers and create newer, although in Bangladesh all forms of tobacco advertisements is completely banned under the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usages (Control) (Amended) Act 2013. Tobacco Industry Watch BD team members, after visiting different areas of the country including Pabna, Sirajgonj, Tangail, Mirzapur and some parts of Dhaka division from January 18 to 19, have found the glittering advertisements, and Navy and Seikh brand cigarette packets are more prevalent than the other brands on the display boards.

Investigations have found that tobacco companies employ agents in different places to run the advertisement by decorating the empty packets on the point-of-sales. The agents, locally prepare the boards, decorate them with empty cigarette packets and place on the doors of the stores in agreement with the shopkeepers, and in some cases, the shop owners are paid as well on a monthly basis in exchange of displaying the boards on their stores.

However, a retailer in Kashinathpur under Pabna district denying the allegation acknowledged that tobacco company agents supply the boards to them and even change the older boards. Some of the retailers, in Pakulla under Tangail, Nogorbari Ghat under Pabna districts, informed that they are unaware about the advertisement of tobacco products is a punishable offence and are also in dark over the penalty of Tk 100,000 against advertisement of tobacco products set by the Smoking and Tobacco Product Usage (Control) (Amended) Act 2013. Most of the retailers are on the view that if the administration forbids, they will remove the boards decked with cigarette packets.

Thereby, awareness rising among the retailers and respective quarters and enforcement of the tobacco control law by regular mobile court drives may stop tobacco products’ advertisements at point-of-sales.