Death Marketing -2

Vape Traders becoming more organized and aggressive

An organization namely Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (BENDSTA) has been launched recently in Bangladesh, committed to protecting the rights of vape users and traders. The organization has been trying to establish vaping and electronic cigarettes as a 'safe alternative' to traditional cigarette smoking. Misleading information is being spread using social media platforms, particularly through Facebook. It is a matter of great concern that BENDSTA has also been trying to draw the attention of policymakers by spreading blatant lies that vaping can play an effective role in making Bangladesh tobacco-free by 2040. However, WHO in its report titled WHO Report on Global Tobacco Epidemic 2019 identified e-cigarettes as certainly detrimental to health. The use of such products is still limited in Bangladesh (prevalence being 0.2 percent among age group 15 y./o or above). Considering the circumstance, the best course of action for the country is to ban the production, import and marketing of all e-cig, vaping and heated tobacco products by amending the current tobacco control law.