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MPs urge PM to ban e-cigarettes


Published : 08 Mar 2021 09:37 PM | Updated : 09 Mar 2021 01:04 AM

A total of 153 MPs have sent a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with a call to impose ban on e-cigarettes in the country. 

Prof Dr Habibe Millat, MP, chairman of Bangladesh Parliamentary Forum for Health & Wellbeing along with former health minister Prof Dr AFM Ruhul Haque, MP, Mahabub  Ara Gini, MP, Hafiz Ahmed Mazumder, MP, Advocate Syeda Rubina Akhter, MP, Aparajita Haque, MP, Shabnam Jahan, MP, and Sheuli Azad. MP, handed over the letter to Principal Secretary of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Ahmed Kaykaus on Monday. 

The MPs called upon the Prime Minister to take initiative to impose ban on import, production, sale, marketing and use of e-cigarettes in the country. 

In the meeting with PMO’s Principal Secretary, Dr Habibe Millat, MP, said, ‘Every tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, is harmful to the health. The e-cigarette is brining harmful impacts for people of the country, especially the youths. However, the tobacco control law has loopholes to take strong measures against e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. Against this backdrop, the law should be amended. If the law is amended, the tax collection will also increase.”  

In the letter, the MPs said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared a tobacco-free Bangladesh within 2040. To achieve this goal, it is important to amend tobacco control law. However, the law should be amended to increase revenue from the tobacco products. 

They also said that use of e-cigarette is increasing in the country. E-cigarettes and vaping have already been banned in 42 countries. However, many anti-tobacco platform have been demanding imposing ban on e-cigarettes in Bangladesh. 

The main consumer of e-cigarettes in Bangladesh are teenagers and young people. Its use is being increased among aged people also. Moreover, the situation is becoming more risky as there is no regulation on the import of these products. In this case, it is important to ban the use of this harmful product before it is widely used.