Public Health on Top

Bangladesh Blind Mission (BBM) has recently organized a journalists' workshop on so-called harm reduction of smoking, an event that was funded by Foundation for a Smoke-free World (FSFW), a Philip Morris International (PMI) sponsored front group. It should be noted that, Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) is a network of more than 400 journalists which is working on tobacco control in Bangladesh for more than 12 years. The sole purpose behind organizing such a journalists' workshop is to confuse and mislead ATMA members and other journalists, with a view to ultimately obstructing the ongoing amendment initiative of the tobacco control law. Prior to this event, BBM attempted to collaborate with Non-communicable Disease Control Program of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to organize a workshop on tobacco cessation. Subsequently, with protests from anti-tobacco organization and intervention from the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC), the workshop was halted.

Voice of Vapers (VoV), on the other hand, has been trying to influence the government's decision to ban e-cigarettes and vape products. To realize the Prime Minister's vision, the draft amendment of tobacco control law with proposal to ban e-cigarettes and vaping products has already been sent to the Cabinet Division for finalization. We hope, the government will prioritize public health above all without succumbing to the ill tactics of tobacco companies and finalize the draft amendment at the earliest.