A Tobacco-Free Bangladesh: Collective Awakening Needed to Realize the Dream
By Osman Gani
Public health is the primary prerequisite for building a progressive, healthy, and prosperous nation. The main driving force behind any country's economic and social progress is its youth and workforce. However, this very force is being silently destroyed from within by a deadly affliction, the aggression of tobacco. Bangladesh stands at a historic crossroads today. A far-reaching and firm commitment to making the country completely tobacco-free by 2040 has already been declared at the state level. This is not merely a political or administrative slogan; rather, it is a noble resolve to save the lives of over 160 million people, improve public health, and ensure a sustainable future for the nation. To turn this dream into reality, a radical shift in our conventional thinking, tobacco control laws, and social awareness is imperative.
The horrors of tobacco are no longer a secret. Whether in the form of bidi, cigarettes, jarda, gul, or hookah—whatever the shape, tobacco is a silent killer for the human body. Every year in our country, over a hundred thousand people lose their lives prematurely due to various tobacco-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic lung complications. Millions of families face extreme economic and emotional ruin after losing their sole breadwinners. What is even more alarming is that this deadly addiction to tobacco is engulfing our future generation, the youth. A large portion of adolescents and young adults are becoming addicted to smoking in the name of modernization or through peer pressure, which subsequently drives them toward other lethal drugs. Tobacco has become the biggest obstacle to raising a talented and healthy young generation.
Apart from this massive damage to public health, the economic losses caused by tobacco are also immense. Tobacco companies often argue that they provide huge revenues to the government and create employment. But the reality is completely different. Research shows that the economic cost to the country due to the treatment of tobacco-related illnesses, loss of productivity, and premature deaths is far greater than the revenue the government receives from the tobacco sector. In other words, the money spent and lost because of tobacco multiplies beyond the revenue earned. Tobacco cultivation destroys the fertile agricultural land of the country, posing a major threat to food security. A vast amount of forest wood is burned to process tobacco leaves, severely disrupting the ecological balance and increasing the risk of climate change. Therefore, from neither an economic nor an environmental perspective is there any scope to support the existence of tobacco.
Bangladesh is one of the first countries in the world to sign the United Nations Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Tobacco control laws exist in the country, and several amendments have been made to them. Some commendable initiatives have also been taken, such as banning smoking in public places, providing graphic health warnings on tobacco packages, and imposing a ban on tobacco advertisements. However, a huge gap remains between having a law and its proper implementation in our country. Tobacco companies exploit legal loopholes to promote and expand their products through various tactics. Smoking scenes are displayed in various dramas, movies, or OTT platform contents, creating an subconscious attraction toward it among the youth. Moreover, the availability of loose cigarettes makes it extremely easy for individuals of any age, even school-going teenagers, to procure tobacco products.
To build a tobacco-free Bangladesh, our existing tobacco control laws must first be strengthened and modernized. It is necessary to ensure a 100% smoke-free environment through legal amendments, where there will be no 'designated smoking areas.' This is because secondhand smoke is equally harmful, exposing non-smokers, especially women and children, to severe health risks. Additionally, the sale of single sticks or loose tobacco products must be completely banned. When a buyer is forced to buy a whole pack, many people, especially the youth, will refrain from smoking due to financial constraints. At the same time, emerging tobacco products like e-cigarettes or vaping, which are rapidly attracting the youth, must be completely banned in the country as a demand of the time.
Alongside this, a radical reform of the tax structure on tobacco is essential. Currently, tobacco companies exploit the multi-tiered tax structure in Bangladesh to retain the market for low-tier cigarettes. A specific and high tax rate should be imposed on all types of tobacco products, making these harmful products beyond the purchasing power of the general public, particularly the poor and the youth. The revenue generated from high tax collection can be spent on developing the public health sector and funding anti-tobacco campaigns.
However, a tobacco-free society cannot be built merely by increasing laws and taxes unless a strong social movement is forged behind it. The fight against tobacco is not the government's responsibility alone; it is the duty of every citizen. Starting from families to educational institutions, religious places, and social organizations must play an active role in this movement. Parents need to be vigilant so that their children do not get involved in this deadly addiction under any circumstances. Teachers should regularly educate students about the harmful effects of tobacco. The youth must be kept engaged in sports, cultural activities, and creative endeavors so that they do not turn to tobacco out of depression or curiosity.
Arranging alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers is also a vital part of this dream. Farmers in many regions of our country fall into the trap of aggressive loans and allurements from tobacco companies and cultivate tobacco on fertile lands. These farmers must be encouraged to cultivate food grains, vegetables, or other profitable cash crops instead. The government needs to provide special incentives, easy loans, and technical assistance for alternative crop cultivation. If tobacco lands can be utilized for food production, it will further boost the country's economy and nutritional needs.
One thing we must keep in mind is that the biggest obstacle to achieving a tobacco-free Bangladesh is the powerful lobbying of tobacco companies and their attempts to influence policymakers with misleading propaganda. In the name of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), tobacco companies engage in various hypocritical philanthropic works to brighten their image. Such disguised advertisements must be legally prohibited. The Ministry of Health and agencies involved in tobacco control must be made more independent and powerful so that no commercial interests can override public health.
We do not have much time left to achieve the target of a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040. There is no longer any scope to move slowly; rather, rapid and strict actions are required. A tobacco-free nation will not only give us healthy citizens but will also alleviate the massive financial burden on the country's health sector and increase productivity. The dream of building a tobacco-free Bangladesh is essentially a dream for a healthy, beautiful, and prosperous tomorrow. To turn this dream into reality requires political will, strict enforcement of the law, and ironclad unity among people from all walks of life, regardless of party affiliations. Only our collective efforts can free our beloved motherland and the future generation from the dark grip of tobacco. A tobacco-free Bangladesh is not just the demand of the hour; it is a battle for our survival.
The Writer is Journalist and Columnist
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