In Bangladesh, health experts are calling for stricter anti-smoking laws and for action against tobacco industry interference.

On December 8, 2025, three health organizations—the Bangladesh National Heart Foundation, the Bangladesh Lung Foundation, and the Bangladesh Cancer Society—issued a joint statement describing the revision of the "Tobacco Control Act" as the only effective measure to combat smoking and protect public health. ^[1]. They also warn of disinformation campaigns carried out by the tobacco industry since the start of the reform process, and stress that health considerations must take precedence over commercial interests.

Smoking, a health, economic and environmental scourge for Bangladesh

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable premature death in Bangladesh: according to the Tobacco Atlas 2025, 357 people die every day from tobacco-related diseases, or more than 130,000 per year.

Non-communicable diseases account for 71% of deaths, with tobacco being the leading risk factor, causing cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Approximately 1.5 million adults suffer from smoking-related illnesses each year.

Passive smoking also causes nearly 25,000 deaths and affects at least 40% of children under 14 at home.[2], with over 61,000 children suffering from health complications as a result.

Financially, the health and environmental costs far exceed the tax revenues from tobacco. A study by Johns Hopkins University indicates that, during the 2023-2024 fiscal year, public revenues from tobacco amounted to 400 billion Bangladeshi Taka (2.8 billion euros), while the health and environmental costs reached 840 billion Taka (5.9 billion euros), more than double the revenues.

The main recommendations are based on the provisions of the WHO treaty ratified by the country

The statement from the three health organizations calls for the implementation of measures in accordance with the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which the country ratified on June 14, 2004.

Therefore, the removal of designated smoking areas in all public spaces and public transport is being requested in order to protect non-smokers.

Also requested are a ban on the display of tobacco products at points of sale and the elimination of the sale of cigarettes individually or in bulk.

Added to this is a call to ban tobacco companies' Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, which currently involve donations to initiatives in education, health, and the environment—activities described as "social whitewashing" by health experts. This type of activity, combined with heavy advertising by tobacco manufacturers, tends to improve their image and, more importantly, hinders the adoption of effective measures to reduce tobacco consumption in the country.

Similarly, health organizations are calling for an increase in the size of health warnings on cigarette packaging, including illustrated messages. Currently limited to 50 square meters of the surface area of cigarette packs, they are urging public authorities to expand this to 90 square meters.

Finally, to combat the expansion of new tobacco and nicotine products, protective measures are required, particularly to protect children and adolescents from the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes.

The interference of the tobacco and nicotine industry, a major obstacle to ambitious health measures

Furthermore, Iqbal Masud, Director of the Health and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) sector at the Ahsania Mission in Dhaka, specifically warned about the influence of the tobacco lobby, emphasizing that tobacco industry interference remains one of the biggest obstacles to tobacco control policies in Bangladesh.[3].

The country has the highest rate of industrial interference in South Asia, and The Bangladeshi state holds a 9 to 11% stake in the local subsidiary of British American Tobacco (BAT), creating conflicts of interest. and the very presence of the tobacco company in governing bodies. Tobacco companies thus influence public decisions through lobbying, controversial information campaigns, and corporate social responsibility initiatives, in order to extend their influence and present an image of respectability.

The country also faces the burden of tobacco farming. This crop is still classified as a "cash crop" (a lucrative crop primarily intended for export) under the 2018 Agricultural Products Marketing Act and benefits from indirect subsidies, particularly for fertilizers used in food crops. Export duties on tobacco leaves, previously set at 25 %, have been eliminated, and the government allows companies like Philip Morris International (PMI) to establish nicotine bag factories.

To limit the interference of the tobacco industry, under Article 5.3 of the FCTC, the expert calls on Bangladesh to remove cigarettes from the essential products of the 1956 law, to end public participation in tobacco companies, to better regulate tobacco cultivation, to promote alternative crops, to restrict industrial investments, to reinstate export duties on tobacco leaves and finally to remove tobacco from the list of cash crops.

He also recommends, in order to protect public health, that the reform of the anti-tobacco law be finalized quickly and that taxation be adopted in accordance with the WHO's FCTC.

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[1]Bangladesh Post, Call for immediate amendment of tobacco control law to prevent premature deaths and protect public health, Published on December 8, 2025, accessed on December 9, 2025

[2]Zafar Ullah AN, Huque R, Akter S, et al., Children's exposure to second-hand smoke at home in Bangladesh: a community survey, BMJ Open, published November 13, 2013, accessed December 11, 2025

[3]Iqbal Masud, Tobacco industry's interference in policy-making must be reined in, Daily Observer, published on December 9, 2025, accessed the same day

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