Public Health on Top

With a view to eliminating the proposed ban on e-cigarettes and vape products from the draft amendment to the tobacco control law, Voice of Vapers (VoV) and Asia Harm Reduction Alliance (AHRA) have recently organized a summit and roundtable, orchestrated by the grantees and representatives of Foundation for a Smoke-free World (FSFW), a Philip Morris International (PMI) sponsored front group. A number of representatives from different relevant government bodies also participated in the events, which were covered extensively in mass media and social media platforms. At the same time, this group, with a vested interest in the vape and e-cigarette business, also published a special supplement in a national daily, which distorted the anti-vaping stance of some international entities including the World Health Organization (WHO), which is very concerning.
Additionally, Association for Community Empowerment (ACE), the UK-based Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR), and Enam Medical College have continued their promotion of a so-called research protocol on harm reduction of smoking among diabetic patients of Bangladesh. This is also an FSFW-funded venture.
With funds from the tobacco industry, such promotional campaigns are being conducted at a time when the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has taken the initiative to ban e-cigarettes and vaping through an amendment of the tobacco control law. We sincerely hope that the government will not get confused by the ill tactics of the tobacco companies and finalized the amendment process at the earliest.