In Bangladesh, anti-smoking measures are accused of being weakened by strong industrial interference

The Advisory Council approved the 2025 Order amending the 2005 "Tobacco and Tobacco Products Control Act," aimed at strengthening existing regulations to better reduce the consumption of tobacco and new nicotine products in Bangladesh.[1]. This approval was given during the Council's weekly meeting, chaired by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka. The Ministry of Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs has been instructed to take immediate steps to promulgate the order, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, health experts have warned that several of their proposals are not included in the final draft, highlighting increased interference from the tobacco and nicotine industry.

The bans primarily affect new tobacco and nicotine products

The ordinance prohibits the production, import, sale, and use of new "tobacco" products (the Bangladeshi government uses this term to refer to all of them, making no distinction between tobacco products strictly speaking and other nicotine products, unlike European regulations). "Tobacco products" thus encompass traditional tobacco and heated tobacco products (HTPs), which contain tobacco, as well as electronic cigarettes and related products, which contain nicotine but not tobacco.

The ordinance extends to all new products the bans on consumption already in place for "traditional" tobacco products. Designated "smoking areas" require government approval, while the definition and scope of public places and public transportation have been broadened. The fine for smoking in public places increases from 300 taka (€2) to 2,000 taka (€14).

Furthermore, all forms of advertising, promotion and sponsorship related to the new products are also explicitly prohibited, including the display of products in points of sale and their promotion on the Internet or any other media (television, radio, press…), as was already the case for cigarettes and other classic tobacco products strictly speaking.

Finally, the sale of traditional tobacco is now prohibited within a 100-meter radius of schools, hospitals, playgrounds and children's parks.

Stricter regulations on nicotine sachets and traditional tobacco

Nicotine sachets are also considered a "tobacco" product and are regulated as such.

The inclusion of these sachets in the list of "tobacco" products comes after the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority approved in April 2025 the creation of a nicotine sachet factory in Narayanganj by the Bangladeshi subsidiary of Philip Morris, a decision strongly criticized by health actors.

The ordinance also increases the mandatory size of health warnings on traditional tobacco packaging. This size increases from 50 to 75 square centimeters of the main front and back surfaces of the pack. However, this is still less than the initial requirement, which stipulated that these warnings occupy 90 square centimeters of the main packaging surfaces.

Health NGOs denounce an order weakened by the influence of industry

Since 2013, several proposed amendments to the 2005 anti-smoking law have been weakened or slowed down. In this instance, the main proposals from health stakeholders—namely, a ban on the sale of individual or bulk cigarettes and the granting of licenses to retailers—were not included in the ordinance, even though they were part of the initial draft.[2].

Proposals to ban the sale of tobacco products by street vendors and without a license, as well as a ban on flavorings that make tobacco and nicotine products more appealing, were also excluded from the ordinance.

These withdrawals came at the request of the National Revenue Council and the Ministry of Finance, following recommendations from a committee headed by financial advisor Salehuddin Ahmed. Ahmed cited the tax revenue the industry brings to the state as his reason for opposing the withdrawals. In reality, according to Sushanta K. Singha, a public health researcher and journalist, selling cigarettes individually allows tobacco companies to circumvent regulated prices on cigarette packs. By doing so, they earn an additional 65 billion taka (452 million euros) annually and evade 50 billion taka (347 million euros) in taxes. Singha explains that a licensing system imposed on retailers would effectively combat tax evasion by the industry and the parallel markets that indirectly benefit it.[3].

The withdrawal of fundamental measures that could reduce the consumption of tobacco and related products raises serious concerns, according to health experts, about the lack of transparency and the influence of the tobacco and nicotine industry in Bangladesh. According to the 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, Bangladesh ranks 66th.^e out of the 100 countries assessed, with a score of 69 out of 100[4]. The higher the score, the greater the interference of the tobacco industry and the weaker the implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), even though the country ratified it as early as 2004.

Also, Several health experts had called earlier in December for stricter anti-smoking laws and also demanded that measures be taken to combat interference from the tobacco industry., in the face of the health, economic and environmental scourge that is smoking in Bangladesh.

The stakes are indeed high for this country. According to the Ministry of Health, non-communicable diseases linked to tobacco consumption (heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, etc.) cause more than 130,000 premature and avoidable deaths in the country each year, and in 2024, approximately 37.1 million Bangladeshis aged 15 and over consumed various tobacco and nicotine products, representing 35.3 million of the population concerned in these age groups.

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[1]The Business Standard, Advisory council approves Tobacco Control Amendment Ordinance 2025, Published on December 24, 2025, accessed on December 29, 2025

[2]Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary, Govt passes stricter tobacco ordinance, The Daily Star, published on December 25, 2025, accessed on December 29, 2025

[3]Sushanta K. Singha, Bangladesh Approves Tobacco Control Ordinance, But Hides Details Amid, Published on December 27, 2025, accessed on December 29, 2025

[4]The Business Standard, Bangladesh tops in Asia for tobacco interference industry, Published on December 30, 2025, accessed the same day

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