Bangladesh cabinet nod for tough anti-tobacco law

The cabinet in its weekly meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday approved a draft law in principle in this regard to strengthen the existing legal framework to control smoking and use of all tobacco products. “The Smoking and Tobacco Products use (amendment) Act 2012 has proposed a 100 taka fine against individuals for smoking in a public place and a fine of 500 taka against the manager of a public place for its failure to check smoking in the area, Cabinet Secretary M Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said while briefing reporters after the meeting.

At present, there are no legal obligations for managers of public places to check smoking or use of tobacco products in their areas. However, a penalty of 50 taka has been imposed against individuals for smoking in public places. The new law has widened the definition of tobacco, public places and authorised officers. It also has proposed for either three years’ simple imprisonment or 100,000 taka fine or both for any advertisement for promotion of tobacco or tobacco products, the cabinet secretary said. He said Bangladesh is a signatory to the UN Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the country has many achievements in this area. Against this backdrop, the government has decided on a tough anti-tobacco act amending the existing law enacted in 2005.

The new law proposed for upgrading the post of Sub-district Health Officer, main authorised officer for execution of the Anti-Tobacco Act, to Sub-district Health Family Welfare Officer. However, the Sub-district Executive Officer and law enforcing agencies would have authority to execute the law. Besides, any aggrieved individual can lodge a complaint with competent authorities. Under the new law, Mosharraf Hossain said, roots, branches or any of part of the tobacco plant and gul, “khoiny,” and “sada pata” would be considered as tobacco and tobacco products. And public places would mean — places crowded or used by common people — either of public or private ownership.

The places include educational institutions, offices of government, semi-government and autonomous bodies, libraries, hospitals, clinics, offices of private organisations, court buildings, airports, seaports, land ports, transports, railway buildings, bus terminals, exhibition centres, markets, theatre halls, shopping malls, restaurants, public toilets, public meetings, passengers halts, bus stops, venues of fairs, or any other place declared by the government or local government as public places. The new law proposed for designated smoking places in different areas, the cabinet secretary said.