Market and legal data for the vapour sector in Bangladesh

7th January 2025: Bangladesh: The government has banned the import of e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), with immediate effect. The ban follows a government decision to restrict the import of all e-cigarette-related products to protect public health and young generations from their harmful effects.
7th January 2025: Bangladesh: Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (Bendsta) and Consumers Rights of Sales Alternatives (Corsa) have proposed a new regulatory framework. Bendsta suggests lifting the import ban on electronic nicotine delivery systems and developing regulations based on scientific research. The organisation emphasises the need to include traders, importers, users and health experts in the policy-making process to create an inclusive framework. It also advocates for implementing measures such as quality control, import standards and licensing to prevent the circulation of illegal and substandard products. Furthermore, Bendsta stresses the importance of enforcing strict laws to restrict access to these products by minors. Anti-tobacco activists still advocate for a complete ban to avoid under-age use and call for sanctions to curb illicit trade.
13th December 2024: Bangladesh: The interim government has decided to add e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to the list of prohibited items under the Import Policy Order, press reports. This decision was taken during a meeting of the Advisory Council on Thursday, 12th December. The Health Services Division supported the move, highlighting the need to safeguard public health and prevent young people from consuming ENDS-related products. This measure shows the restrictive approach of the government – continuing that of the previous government – towards novel nicotine products.
8th November 2024: Bangladesh: The Advisory Council of Interim Government has sent the draft of amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act back to a committee headed by the economic and finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, due to its implications for the country’s fiscal revenue. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Advisory Council chaired by the country’s chief adviser (interim prime minister) Muhammad Yunus. The committee will be tasked with reviewing the draft amendments, press reports.
24th October 2024: Bangladesh: The interim government initiated the amendment of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, introducing an ordinance that will tighten tobacco control by banning the sale of e-cigarettes, loose cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco. It will also require shopkeepers to obtain a licence for selling tobacco products, with penalties of BDT50,000 ($420) for non-compliance and stricter fines for selling near schools, hospitals or public venues. The bill is likely to pass, and it would have significant implications for Bangladesh’s economic context. It had already been supported by the previous government, which was ousted in August this year.
23rd October 2024: Bangladesh: During a press conference held yesterday (22nd October) in Kawran Bazar, Dhaka, the Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (Bendsta) called for sensible regulation on e-cigarettes and other tobacco harm-reduction products, rather than a restrictive approach. Bendsta’s president Schumann Zaman said vapes should not be placed in the same category as cigarettes, as they can be tools of harm reduction. Bendsta also invited the government to engage with the association in an evidence-based dialogue to craft policies that align with Bangladesh’s public health agenda.
15th October 2024: Bangladesh: A recent report on two decades of tobacco control in Southeast Asia highlighted Bangladesh’s success in implementing measures under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). The country’s National Tobacco Control Cell has efficiently utilised tobacco tax revenues to fund health initiatives and awareness campaigns. Despite these achievements, the report noted ongoing challenges – including the illicit tobacco trade and the emergence of new tobacco products.
15th October 2024: Bangladesh: Nari Maitree, a development non-governmental organisation (NGO), held a round table on 9th October to emphasise the role of journalists in advancing a tobacco-free Bangladesh. The discussion highlighted the urgency of amending tobacco control laws, focusing on youth addiction to e-cigarettes and the harmful effects of secondhand smoke on women and children. Experts and media representatives called for stricter regulations in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to reduce tobacco use and safeguard public health. The Nari Maitree organisation is a prominent actor in the country. It works towards a more equitable society, with health development – through tobacco control, among other initiatives – being one of the key steps towards achieving equality.
10th October 2024: Bangladesh: A round-table discussion on creating a “tobacco-free Bangladesh” emphasised the need for greater media involvement in reducing tobacco use, along with amendments to tobacco laws that would ban e-cigarette production, prohibit single-stick cigarette sales, and strengthen health warnings on tobacco packaging.
1st October 2024: Bangladesh: Health experts have proposed a nationwide ban on e-cigarettes, alongside increasing taxes on tobacco products, tightening tobacco control laws and halting advertising campaigns by tobacco companies. These suggestions were presented during a workshop titled “Empowering Young Physicians for Tobacco Control in Bangladesh”, which linked tobacco use to non-communicable diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes, indicating that the scientific community in Bangladesh is taking a stricter approach towards all tobacco products.
27th September 2024: Bangladesh: At the Anti-Tobacco Youth Convention 2024, participants proposed amendments to the draft Tobacco Control Law aimed at reducing tobacco use. Key proposals included banning the import, production and marketing of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, restricting retail and public sales of tobacco, prohibiting product displays at points-of-sale, eliminating smoking areas in public spaces and transport, banning tobacco companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging from 50% to 90%. The forum’s proposals to amend the Tobacco Control Law would enforce measures that, if adopted, would strengthen public health policies in the country. It was organised by the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP), which has successfully advocated for development initiatives – such as maternity allowances.
5th August 2024: Bangladesh: Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and the army will oversee the formation of an interim government, army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said in a statement to the nation. The government held a negative stance towards vaping products. Hasina adopted a programme for the country to become tobacco-free by 2040 that aims to restrict the circulation and use of nicotine products in general. In 2023, the Ministry of Health proposed a ban on the sale, promotion, marketing, production, import, and export of nicotine-containing and nicotine-free e-cigarettes. However, the proposal has not yet been adopted.

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LATEST ALERTS

E-cigarettes in Bangladesh

Bangladesh budget proposes spike in taxes to get harm down and revenue up

Man on a mission to counter ‘nicotine illiteracy’ and aid smokers everywhere

World No Tobacco Day 2020: the debate about harm reduction

Bangladesh: e-cigarette regulation, July 2024

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