Thrust on political will to ban e-cigarette, enact tough anti-tobacco law

Speakers on Monday underscored the need for a strong political will to ban the new form of tobacco consumption called e-cigarette. They also urged the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to speed up the banning of e-cigarette by amending the existing tobacco control law. Adolescents and youths in urban areas were found to be fond of using e-cigarette as a fashion. Hence, there was a risk of a rapid rise in e-cigarette use in the country due to misconceptions and strategic marketing by tobacco companies, they warned. Bangladesh is already among the top ten countries in terms of prevalence of tobacco users. Given this context, the proliferation of new tobacco products such as e-cigarette is a matter of concern.