Ehsanul Haque Jasim :
The tobacco companies are ignoring the tobacco control law, as they have responded poorly to the government’s directive of inscribing graphical health warning on the packets of tobacco products.
According to the law and the government’s directive, the deadline for execution of
graphical warning on cigarette packets and packets of other tobacco products was March 19.
In a public circular published on March 16, the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) said that the graphical warning would have to be inscribed on all tobacco products’ packets, and cartons or boxes’ which will not be less than 50 per cent of the cover.
Referring to the ‘Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, 2005’, amended in 2013, and its 2015 rules, the public circular said that the law would be effective from March 19. From the date, the tobacco products cannot be sold or marketed without graphical health warnings.
But the directive is yet to be effected properly, even after a week of the deadline. The tobacco companies are defying the directive, while no action has yet been taken by the authorities. Visiting different areas in the city and the reports received from different other parts of the country, the graphical warnings were seen on a few cigarette brands’ packets, while most of the brands, including Benson & Hedges, Star, Navy, Marlboro, Derby, Hollyhood and Sheikh, do not bear the pictorial warnings.
The anti-tobacco activists expressed annoyance at the poor response in this regard. They said that the government must take action against those companies who are ignoring the directive as well as the law.
Syed Mahbubul Alam, Technical Advisor of international organisation ‘The Union’, on Friday told The New Nation that the tobacco companies were given one year as a buffer time to execute the directive. It was very unexpected that the tobacco companies paid little heed to the issue even after passing of the deadline.
He suggested the authorities to conduct mobile court effectively to execute the government’s directive.
Expressing her annoyance, Farhana Zaman Liza, Research Assistant of Tobacco Control & Research Cell, said that the graphical warning was not seen executed on any cigarette brand without Gold Leaf. Tougher action has to be taken against the companies. The government has the option to take stern action according to its directive, she added. The directive says, if any person or organisation violates the rule, the person or organisation will be awarded a six-month simple imprisonment or fined a maximum of Tk 2 lakh or both. If any person or organisation violates the same rule again, the punishment would be doubled, it adds.
The tobacco companies are ignoring the tobacco control law, as they have responded poorly to the government’s directive of inscribing graphical health warning on the packets of tobacco products.
According to the law and the government’s directive, the deadline for execution of
graphical warning on cigarette packets and packets of other tobacco products was March 19.
In a public circular published on March 16, the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) said that the graphical warning would have to be inscribed on all tobacco products’ packets, and cartons or boxes’ which will not be less than 50 per cent of the cover.
Referring to the ‘Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, 2005’, amended in 2013, and its 2015 rules, the public circular said that the law would be effective from March 19. From the date, the tobacco products cannot be sold or marketed without graphical health warnings.
But the directive is yet to be effected properly, even after a week of the deadline. The tobacco companies are defying the directive, while no action has yet been taken by the authorities. Visiting different areas in the city and the reports received from different other parts of the country, the graphical warnings were seen on a few cigarette brands’ packets, while most of the brands, including Benson & Hedges, Star, Navy, Marlboro, Derby, Hollyhood and Sheikh, do not bear the pictorial warnings.
The anti-tobacco activists expressed annoyance at the poor response in this regard. They said that the government must take action against those companies who are ignoring the directive as well as the law.
Syed Mahbubul Alam, Technical Advisor of international organisation ‘The Union’, on Friday told The New Nation that the tobacco companies were given one year as a buffer time to execute the directive. It was very unexpected that the tobacco companies paid little heed to the issue even after passing of the deadline.
He suggested the authorities to conduct mobile court effectively to execute the government’s directive.
Expressing her annoyance, Farhana Zaman Liza, Research Assistant of Tobacco Control & Research Cell, said that the graphical warning was not seen executed on any cigarette brand without Gold Leaf. Tougher action has to be taken against the companies. The government has the option to take stern action according to its directive, she added. The directive says, if any person or organisation violates the rule, the person or organisation will be awarded a six-month simple imprisonment or fined a maximum of Tk 2 lakh or both. If any person or organisation violates the same rule again, the punishment would be doubled, it adds.
