Md. Hasan Shahriar, Md. Mehedi Hasan, Md. Shahedul Alam & ABM Zubair.
Bangladesh’s Tobacco Control Law Amendment 2025: A Bold Step for Public Health
Bangladesh remains among the countries most heavily burdened by tobacco use, with more than one-third of adults consuming tobacco and an estimated 130,000 tobacco-attributable deaths each year. The resulting health, environmental, and economic costs far exceed government revenue from the tobacco sector. Against this backdrop, the Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 represents the most significant update to the country’s tobacco control framework in over a decade.
The need for reform had become increasingly evident. While Bangladesh last amended its tobacco control law in 2013, the rapid increase in use of electronic nicotine delivery systems, heated tobacco products, and other novel nicotine products occurred in a largely unregulated environment. At the same time, inadequate provisions for smoke-free provisions, weak retail controls, and the growing use of digital platforms for tobacco marketing continued to undermine public health efforts. In response, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare initiated a comprehensive amendment process in 2021 to better align national legislation with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The draft amendment released for public consultation in 2022 included several evidence-based measures strongly supported by public health advocates. Central among these was an expanded definition of tobacco products to explicitly include e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and all nicotine-containing products, closing loopholes exploited by the tobacco industry to promote “reduced-harm” narratives, particularly among young people. This measure was included in the final 2025 ordinance, along with a complete ban on use, production, import and marketing of all kinds of electronic nicotine delivery system ends (ENDS) i.e. e-cigarettes, vape and heated tobacco products (HTPs) is also incorporated.
The draft also proposed establishing 100% smoke-free public places by removing designated smoking areas. In the 2025 ordinance, all public places and means of public transport, including those mechanized and non-mechanized, are now smoke-free, effectively abolishing designated smoking areas. Maximum fines for violations have been increased from BDT 300 (roughly USD 2.5) to BDT 2000 (roughly USD 16).
The draft also recommended introducing a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship across traditional and digital media, along with prohibiting point-of-sale displays and banning tobacco industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The ordinance delivers this comprehensive ban, explicitly covering digital media, social media and streaming platforms, as well as point-of-sale displays.
Additional measures aimed to reduce tobacco availability and youth access to tobacco, including banning sales near schools and health facilities. Restrictions on tobacco sales within 100 metres of schools, hospitals, and playgrounds have been retained, reinforcing protections for children and adolescents.
While the 2025 ordinance retains several of the draft’s most important elements as outlined above, there are missed opportunities and ongoing gaps, with several critical proposals diluted or excluded. The sale of loose tobacco products, which has long undermined tobacco taxation measures, remains legal despite a measure to ban its sale in the draft. The ordinance also does not include a ban on mobile and itinerant tobacco vending, thus keeping existing widespread availability as well as affordability of tobacco products unchecked. A proposed mandatory retailer licensing system was also excluded from the finalized ordinance. Pictorial health warnings were increased to 75% of the package surface but fell short of the 90% proposed in the draft. Tobacco companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities remain permissible. Although the ordinance restricts the use of tobacco branding in CSR activities, it stops short of imposing a complete ban, thereby leaving scope for continued image-building and indirect influence by the industry. Public places and means of public transport, including those mechanized and non-mechanized, are now smoke-free, effectively abolishing designated smoking areas. Maximum fines for violations have been increased from BDT 300 (roughly USD 2.5) to BDT 2000 (roughly USD 16).
The amendment process unfolded amid sustained tobacco industry interference. The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025 places Bangladesh among the countries with the highest levels of industry interference globally. In Asia, Bangladesh performed the worst, with high frequency of interference surrounding the amendment of its tobacco control laws. During the amendment process, local and multinational tobacco companies engaged in intensive lobbying, disseminated industry-backed research, and mobilised front groups and business associations to oppose key provisions.
In October 2023, Tobacco Harm Reduction Dot Net—an industry-aligned front group—published a report urging Bangladesh to adopt vape-friendly policies. This was co-authored by Derek Yach, President of Global Action to End Smoking (formerly Foundation for a Smoke Free World). Yach also participated in so-called harm reduction events in Dhaka in May 2023, including an AsHRA roundtable and the Bangladesh Tobacco Harm Reduction Summit 2023, the latter attended by senior officials from key ministries and agencies, including Finance, Industries, Commerce, Home Affairs, and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority.
In May 2024, Policy Exchange Bangladesh hosted a roundtable titled “Policy for Progress towards Harm Reduction.” The event featured Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a key figure in the industry-aligned global harm reduction, and several prominent local intellectuals, including former vice-chancellors and medical college directors. While these gatherings aim to promote vape-friendly policies, they often inadvertently lend credibility to industry-driven narratives. Notably, these events are widely publicized through national dailies, amplifying the message of harm reduction in the region.
Policy Exchange Bangladesh and Bangladesh Harm Reduction Foundation have, recently (13 October 2025), jointly organized a roundtable meeting titled “Policy for Progress: Towards Harm Reduction 2.0”. Findings from two so-called research papers, “Tale of Two Nations: Bangladesh vs New Zealand” and “Prohibition Does Not Work” were presented before the audience, aiming to portray Bangladesh’s proposed ban on vape products as ‘ineffective”. Among those present during the event was Dr. Delon Human, whose career has been the subject of major criticism due to his collaboration vested interests of British American Tobacco (BAT). Timothy Andrews, representative of Tholos Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) was also joined virtually. It should be noted that both Tholos Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) are funded by Philip Morris International (PMI) and involved worldwide in lobbying in favor of vape and tobacco products.
In January 2025, the US-based International Trademark Association (INTA)—a controversial industry-aligned group with a history of opposing tobacco control measures globally—submitted a letter to the Finance Adviser of Bangladesh’s Interim Government objecting to key provisions of the draft tobacco control amendment. Around the same time, We Are Innovation, an organisation operated by Global Advocacy Group and closely linked to PMI-funded GAES, separately urged the government to frame vaping, e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and other “innovative” products as safer alternatives to conventional tobacco.
Under the banner of harm reduction, misleading narratives portraying vaping and e-cigarettes as “safer alternatives” were amplified through industry-funded experts, media commentary, webinars, and coordinated advocacy efforts. The exclusion of several strong provisions from the final ordinance reflects the tangible impact of this interference.
Notwithstanding its limitations, the 2025 amendment marks a critical milestone for tobacco control in Bangladesh. It closes major regulatory gaps related to novel nicotine products, modernises advertising restrictions, and strengthens smoke-free protections. The ordinance demonstrates that sustained advocacy, expert evidence, and coordinated engagement can deliver meaningful policy progress, even in the face of persistent industry opposition.
The ordinance has been adopted under the interim government, but the amendment must be approved by the Parliament within 30 days of its presentation at the first parliamentary session or it will lapse. With national elections expected in February 2026, sustained engagement with current and prospective policymakers, the administration, and the media will be essential to ensure parliamentary approval without further dilution. It should be noted that Bangladesh has seen some of its major tobacco control policy initiatives stymied following significant interference from tobacco companies. Following the 2013 amendment of tobacco control laws, tobacco companies used lawsuits to delay the lawful implementation of pictorial health warnings. Government bodies and tobacco control advocates must remain vigilant against such tactics from the tobacco industry, to ensure proper implementation of the amended law.
Md. Hasan Shahriar, Md. Mehedi Hasan, Md. Shahedul Alam PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), Bangladesh. ABM Zubair, PROGGA and Centre for Research and Advocacy to Fight Tobacco (CRAFT), Bangladesh.