Pass the proposed Tobacco Law amendment Before It’s Too Late

Hasibur Rahaman, student of Prime University Bangladesh and Youth Advocate, Nari Maitree

Tobacco is not just a product, it’s a trap- a deadly one that claims over 161,000 lives every year in Bangladesh alone. I have seen its devastating impact up close; my own community bears the scars. I have witnessed young people fall into addiction, families pushed into financial hardship by tobacco-related illnesses, and children growing up watching their loved ones slowly waste away. Through my work as a youth advocate at Nari Maitree, I have come to understand that behind every statistic lies a painful truth —faces I’ve known, stories I’ve heard, and futures that slipped away.

That is why I chose to speak out. Tobacco doesn’t just harm the smoker- it harms everyone around them. It steals health, drains income, and limits opportunity for a better future. It targets the most vulnerable -young people, women, and children through manipulative marketing, flavored products, and easy accessibility. As youth, we witness firsthand how our generation is being pulled into this trap. We see our peers’ experiment with smoking, believing it to be harmless or fashionable, only to become addicted and struggle to quit.

That is why we, the youth of Bangladesh, are calling for the urgent action to strengthen the Tobacco Control Law. Our message is clear-protecting our generation- stop the tobacco epidemic now!

Bangladesh has made commendable progress in tobacco control through the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC). But despite this, the country still faces a tobacco epidemic. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017, 35.3% of adults and 7.1% of youth aged 13–15 use tobacco. Worse, over 40 million people are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places. This exposure endangers everyone, especially women and children, increasing their risk of cancer, miscarriage, heart disease, and respiratory issues.

To address this crisis, Ministry of Health in alignment with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has proposed key amendments that can truly transform public health:

1. Elimination of designated smoking areas from all public places 

2. A complete ban on the display of tobacco products.

3. Prohibition of single-stick cigarette sales, unpackaged and loose smokeless tobacco items.

4. A total ban on tobacco companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

5. Increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging from 50% to 90%.

6. Strong legal measures to protect young people from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes.

These proposed amendments are not just policies on paper, they are lifesaving measures. As youth, we see our peers fall into addiction every day due to cheap prices, colorful packaging, and deceptive promotions. The tobacco industry is targeting us with flavored e-cigarettes, flashy online ads, and even sponsoring youth-friendly events under their so-called CSR. We must act before this manipulation costs us more lives.

The reality is, Bangladesh is not alone. Around the world, young people are at the forefront of tobacco control movements. In Peru, youth advocates successfully influenced lawmakers, leading to the passage of a comprehensive tobacco control law in 2025. In the Philippines, young voices are rising in protest against efforts to weaken tobacco tax policies. In Mexico, youth-led campaigns are actively challenging industry influence and calling for stronger regulations. In Ukraine, young advocates have inspected over 500 public places to monitor compliance with smoke-free laws, holding institutions accountable. These efforts are real-life examples of how youth are advancing the WHO’s MPOWER strategies (six key measures to help countries reduce tobacco use: Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies, Protect people from tobacco smoke, Offer help to quit, Warn about the dangers, Enforce bans on advertising, and Raise taxes). By focusing on protection and enforcement, these youth-led actions show how bold, persistent efforts can drive meaningful change in public health.

In Bangladesh, we are determined to do the same. We, the youth, are stepping up with urgency and purpose. At Nari Maitree, over 400 passionate youth leaders, including myself, are driving change through workshops, campus outreach, community campaigns, and online advocacy. Through initiatives like signature collection drives and letter campaigns, we are drawing national attention and amplifying our voices through youth-led advocacy to demand stronger tobacco control measures. Now, we are actively raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco and the growing threat of e-cigarettes, especially among young people. From educating school and university students to spreading evidence-based messages on social media, we are building a powerful youth-