Bangladesh is pushing a vaping ban to curb rising use among young people

The trend of using e-cigarettes among adolescents in Bangladesh is increasing at an alarming rate.

Lacking the necessary initiatives to control or stop this trend, the use of these products has increased dramatically on roads, campuses, recreational places and e-cigarette clubs for young people. In addition, e-cigarettes have become easily accessible and increasingly popular on Facebook and other online platforms due to manipulative practices and tactics employed by marketers.

Health experts say that young people today are starting to smoke with e-cigarettes. Although just as harmful as cigarettes, many see e-cigarettes as a hobby due to their wide range of flavors and eye-catching designs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) noted in a 2021 report that there are about 16,000 unique flavors of emerging tobacco products on the market.

The use of these products has become significant in a number of countries, including Europe and the Americas. A study conducted in the U.S. revealed that e-cigarette use among school-aged teens increased by 78% in 2018 compared to 2017, in just one year. 85% of students use flavored e-cigarettes solely for their enticing tastes and flavors.

Dr. ABM Abdullah, a highly respected medical expert, professor emeritus and personal physician to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said, "Similar to cigarettes, e-cigarettes pose a significant health risk. They contain liquid nicotine and are mainly used by young people. Many countries have passed legislation to ban e-cigarettes to safeguard public health."

Young people are being encouraged to use e-cigarettes and smoke through platforms such as Facebook. Many Facebook pages, including Vaping Cloud and Vaper World, are growing rapidly by providing real-time and positive reviews of these smoke products. Many have opened websites dedicated to selling e-cigarettes.

Hossain Ali Khondakar, Affiliate Secretary of the Ministry of Health Services and Coordinator of the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC), said at a recent event that the Ministry of Health considers e-cigarettes and smoke to be comparable to cigarettes in terms of health risks.

Therefore, a complete ban on the manufacture, import and sale of e-cigarettes has been proposed in the draft law change. The draft law change has passed through various stages and is now awaiting final approval from the Cabinet meeting."

To protect public health, the WHO recently urged countries to take urgent measures to control the use of e-cigarettes, public health experts said.

Thirty-two countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore, have already banned the sale of these products, while many others are actively working towards this goal.