Tholos Foundation urges Bangladesh to reconsider tobacco ban

The Tholos Foundation has submitted an official comment to the Ministry of Health in Bangladesh proposing a ban on e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and oral nicotine pouches. This submission aims to educate health officials and legislators in Bangladesh about the potential health benefits that current smokers could gain by switching to lower-risk products.

Karl Abramson, Consumer Insight Researcher at Tholos, has expressed concern over Bangladesh's proposal to ban vaping products. According to Abramson, this proposal disregards existing scientific data on reducing the risks associated with nicotine consumption. He emphasizes that the proposal's consequences should be thoroughly considered by Bangladeshi officials. With a smoking rate of 34.7% as of 2020, the citizens of Bangladesh urgently need access to new technology that reduces the harmful effects of nicotine consumption.

We know that electronic cigarettes are 95% less harmful than smoking and an effective method for smokers to quit or reduce smoking. We also know that heat-not-burn (HNB) products are much safer than smoking and have resulted in a 43% decline in cigarette sales in Japan. Banning these products would greatly reduce the chances for smokers in Bangladesh to quit.

Our submission also highlights a study by Georgetown University that predicts 6.6 million American lives could be saved through the use of e-cigarettes. Considering Bangladesh’s smoking rate is nearly three times that of the United States, we have made it clear to Bangladeshi officials that millions of lives in their country depend on access to low-risk alternatives. Failing to push for this proposal would be akin to condemning current smokers in the country to a death sentence.

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