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Quader says making new anti-tobacco laws will not help
Obaidul Quader has called for the strict enforcement of anti-tobacco laws to curb tobacco use in Bangladesh.
Published : 2 Dec 2015, 01:20 PM
Updated : 2 Dec 2015, 01:20 PM
The formulation of new laws would “not be of much help”, he said at an anti-tobacco seminar on Wednesday.
About 40 million people in Bangladesh use tobacco, according to anti-tobacco group Progga.
About 43.3 percent of the adult population and 13.4 million women use non-smoking tobacco, it claims.
Quader said youths in particular were attracted to tobacco.
“I’ve seen on Facebook that up to 90 percent of those between the age of 15 and 20 smoke,” he said.
“I have come across a new thing, ‘Sheesha’, which looks like ‘Hookkah’. Many restaurants sell them secretly.”
The minister, who quit tobacco in 2008, claimed “girls felt more attracted to Sheesha” than boys.
“We have to enforce [the existing laws] and raise awareness,” Quader added.
The World Health Organisation estimates deaths caused by tobacco consumption will exceed 8 million per year by 2030.
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