Public Health on Top

The public health is being deprived of the benefits of Graphical Health Warning (GHW) on tobacco packets. By exploiting the indifferences of the law enforcing authorities, the tobacco companies are adopting different ill tactics to impede reaching the goals of graphical health warning on tobacco packets. The market research has found that majority of the zarda and gul containers have no GHW on them. The packs which contain the GHW is not clearly visible and distorted. As a result, the GHW that began from March 19, 2016 is unable to have any effective measure to protect the public health. Besides, the tricky tobacco ads are found across the country. When the law will be enforced in the right manner, these illegal advertisements would be stopped.
Anti-tobacco activists are intensely disappointed with the flexible attitude of the government towards BATB’s recently unveiled irregularities and anti-public health steps. The prices of premium and higher level cigarettes of BATB have not been increased in the current fiscal years. Though the High Court has proved the tax evasion of BATB worth BDT 700 crores, the company itself is denying the fact by terming the verdict as unlawful and discriminatory and by the same time, creating a pressure on the government through the British High Commissioner to manipulate the verdict. BATB is gaining such flexibilities for the poor tobacco tax structure and government’s share on the tobacco business. It is important to the government to protect the public health than a meagre profit. We firmly believe that the Honorable Prime Minister has pledged to make the country smoking-free by recognizing the truth.