NBR to meet on GHW decision sans Health Ministry!

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has arranged a meeting over the decision making on legal implementation of the graphic health warning (GHW) on tobacco packets and to reduce complexities of cigarette packet stamps and band rolls usage which is set to be held on February 20, 2018. Among the meeting participants, the NBR has invited the Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh) Ltd and Bangladesh Cigarette Manufacturers’ Association (BCMA) whereas the Ministry of Health or the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) under the ministry have not been invited to participate. But in reality, the health ministry is the key stakeholder in implementing the GHW. Anti-tobacco activists fear that the step to avoid the health ministry will help applying recommendations from the tobacco companies regarding the GHW implementation on tobacco packets that will favor the tobacco company business.

Remarkably, the NTCC issued a public circular notifying as mandatory to print the GHW on the upper portion of tobacco packs as per the law from September 19, 2017, while the High Court stayed the order for three months initially and then stayed it for six months more after the writ petition filed by the BCMA in November 2017. Besides, the NBR also recommended the health ministry to postpone the GHW implementation on the upper portion of tobacco packs for one more year for the benefit of the tobacco companies.

The Prime Minister has pledged to make the country tobacco-free before 2040 considering the detrimental impacts of tobacco use. If the GHW is not implemented lawfully in the country, it will be hard to protect the youth from tobacco clutch.