Tobacco companies flouting law thru open ads
Tobacco companies are putting on advertisements at shops across the country, although it is a “punishable offence”, said anti-tobacco campaigners at a seminar yesterday.
According to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, punishment for any sort of business activities to increase tobacco use is up to three months' simple imprisonment or Tk 1 lakh fine or both. But the law breakers are not facing any consequences.
Instead, tobacco companies openly award complementary prizes to customers, hold “job fairs” and debate competitions on university premises and sponsor concerts to attract the youth, said Hasan Shahriar, coordinator of Progga, which along with Atma organised the seminar at the capital's Jatiya Press Club.
WHO Technical Officer Mahfuzul Huq said the healthcare expenditure caused by tobacco use outweighed the revenues generated from tobacco companies.
Rangpur-2 lawmaker Abul Kalam Md Ahsanul Huq Chowdhury said tobacco companies often lure farmers in his constituency into growing tobacco instead of paddy by paying them in advance.
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