The government has approved draft amendments to the country’s anti-tobacco laws that if passed by parliament will involve controls on a wider number of tobacco products and stiffer penalties for violators. The Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) (Amendment) Bill is designed to strengthen the 2005 Tobacco Control Act, cabinet division secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters yesterday. In addition to foreign cigarettes and bidi (cheap local varieties), which are already covered by existing legislation, gul (tobacco powder), jorda (aromatic tobacco), khoyni (processed tobacco) and white tobacco leaves would also be included. Existing fines for smoking in public places would be doubled from 50 taka to 100 taka (61 cents to 1.22 USD) for violators while officials would be fined 500 taka if they fail to implement the laws. “In addition to imposing restrictions on smokers, we also want to see the introduction of a three-month jail term and 100,000 taka fine for those advertising tobacco products,” Bhuiyan told ucanews.com. The government over the past several years have imposed high tariffs on tobacco products and banned all kinds of tobacco advertising, in a bid to discourage its use. Bhuiyan said the government is getting tougher on tobacco control because of ongoing campaigns by various organizations who argue that tobacco-related diseases are still on the rise and that smokers often ignore existing rules because the penalties are too soft. Anti-tobacco activists have welcomed the government’s move. Dr. Arup Ratan Chowdhury, a dentist and head of MANAS, an anti-tobacco organization, says the proposed amendments to the law are a step in the right direction but could be even stricter to provide a more credible deterrent. “Smokers consider a 50 taka fine a ‘joke’. It is good to see the government wants to double the fines, but they should be at least 500 taka,” said Dr. Chowdhury, who added that death and complications due to tobacco addiction are easily preventable. “Tobacco-related diseases kill at least 60,000 people annually, while about 1.2 million tobacco users are seriously affected by related diseases,” he added. Related reports Young women want smoke-free Valentines
