Standard Packaging Crucial for Regulation of Smokeless Tobacco: Experts

Experts in Bangladesh’s healthcare industry have stated that standard packaging plays a crucial role in regulating the consumption of new and smokeless tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco products pose a harmful threat to public health that is just as significant as the control of cigarette and alcohol consumption, the experts say.

On Monday, during a seminar held at the Six Seasons Hotel in the capital, it was stated that approximately 22 million people in Bangladesh consume smokeless tobacco, which accounts for 58% of the total tobacco consumption in the country.

During a keynote speech at an event organized by the ARK Foundation, York University, and the Health Economics Research Network (HERN), Kamran Siddiqui, Professor of Global Public Health at the Department of Health Sciences at York University, stated that Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan have unusually high rates of smokeless tobacco usage and prevalence in the world.

Despite a slight decline in cigarette consumption rates in Bangladesh over the past few years, the use of smokeless tobacco has remained almost unchanged. Therefore, now is a crucial time to focus on controlling this type of product. This was emphasized by Professor Kamran at a seminar titled "Addressing Smokeless Tobacco Control Policy in Bangladesh.

Kamran Siddiqui has presented several suggestions to control the use of non-combustible tobacco products:

The removal of seasoning products restrictions, the development of standards and monitoring of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), the introduction of retail licenses and viable alternatives, a strict ban on online or social media advertising, community authorization to enforce the ban on sales to minors, increasing taxes, and linking the minimum price to a pack of 20 cigarettes were discussed at an event hosted by Professor AHM Enayet Hossain, former Director General of the Department of Medical Education, with Professor Shakil Ahmed, Director of the National Tuberculosis Control Program, serving as the keynote speaker.

Dr. Syed Mahfuzul Huq, a national expert of the World Health Organization (WHO), participated as a panelist in a project led by Rumana Huque, Executive Director of the ARK Foundation and Professor of Economics at Dhaka University.

During a seminar, a spokesperson revealed that 84% of smokeless tobacco products in Bangladesh do not have appropriate picture health warnings on their packaging. Even if they do have picture health warnings, they do not comply with regulations. They also pointed out that 30% of the packages have no health warnings at all. In neighboring India, the percentage is only 7%.

Furthermore, 16% of tuberculosis patients in Bangladesh are also tobacco consumers. Therefore, experts suggest that controlling tobacco consumption could play a significant role in controlling tuberculosis.

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