All out for tobacco law

The government will work out rules within two months to implement the recently passed tobacco control law, Health Secretary MM Neazuddin has said.

He said a ‘comprehensive plan’ was underway to strictly implement the amended law. “We’ll not let anyone to get round it and exploit any loopholes”.

Neazuddin was opening a five-day training program on ‘tobacco control leadership’ organised by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, USA in the coastal resort town of Cox’s Bazar.

Parliament on April 29 passed the tobacco control law raising penalties for its violation.

Under it, smoking in public places will invite a Tk 300 fine while industries will have to print pictorial health warning covering half of the space on both sides of the tobacco pack.

The revised 2005 tobacco control law also bans activities of the tobacco industries under the guise of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) and advertise directly and indirectly – some provisions that anti-tobacco campaigners have long been demanding.

The law has also recognised smokeless products like ‘zarda’ and ‘gul’ as tobacco products and widened the definition of public places to include parks, restaurants and private organisations.

It, however, retained the provision of designated smoking zones in public places that campaigners say is contrary to the WHO’s Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC).

The government says it worked out the law keeping in mind the FCTC that it ratified long ago.

The training aimed at developing understanding of the need for tobacco control in the region brought together policymakers, police and fire service officials, NGOs, activists and journalists together.