Public Health on Top

Voice of Vapers (VoV) and Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (BENDSTA) have been continuing press conferences, webinars, petition signings, and media campaigns opposing a proposed ban on e-cigarettes and vaping products in the draft amendment of the tobacco control law. Simultaneously, a number of organizations have been promoting e-cigarettes and vaping products in the guise of research on smoking alternatives with support from the Foundation for a Smoke-free World (FSFW), a Philip Morris International (PMI) sponsored entity. The sole purpose of these campaigns is to confuse the policymakers using fabricated information. However, Bangladesh govt. is firmly committed to realizing the vision of a tobacco-free Bangladesh, as declared by the Prime Minister. Very recently, in a stakeholder meeting, the commerce minister made it clear that the opinion of the MoHFW will be considered as final on the matter of banning the import of e-cigarettes and vaping products.
Notably, the Health Ministry's draft amendment proposal is awaiting approval from the Cabinet Division. The intention of tobacco companies is to thwart the proper and timely passage of the law, a tendency that occurred previously. Very recently, a study published in the Tobacco Control Journal of British Medical Journal (BMJ) reveals how tobacco companies interfered in the formulation and implementation of graphic health warning (GHW) Rules. British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) played the most vital role in the process. The company exploited its contact at the high levels of the government and different influential departments and managed to put pressure on the Health Ministry via the National Board of Revenue (NBR). The article has been published at a time when the government's initiative to amend tobacco control law is ongoing, and so are tobacco companies' multifaceted interferences and ill tactics. However, the government must prioritize public health above all and finalize the draft amendment at the earliest.