Call to introduce pictorial warning
Speakers at a workshop yesterday underscored the need for introducing effective pictorial warning on the packets of tobacco products to inform the users about its dangerous consequences as well as protecting them from tobacco related diseases.
They said on an average a smoker sees the cigarette packets over 7,000 times a year and if they realise about the negative impacts of tobacco use seeing pictorial warning on the packets, it will help them quit use of tobacco.
Progga, Anti-tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) jointly organised the media planning workshop marking the World No Tobacco Day 2011 at Sundarban Hotel in the city.
CTFK Coordinator Taifur Rahman, ATMA Convener Ruhul Amin Rushad and Progga training officer Hasan spoke at the workshop.
The speakers urged the government to raise the rate of direct tax on all sorts of tobacco products, including cigarettes, bidi, jorda, sada pata and gul to discourage tobacco consumption in Bangladesh.
They called for restricting the smokeless tobacco products such as jorda, gul and sada pata as these products also cause serious diseases among the people.
Taifur said there are about 42 million passive smokers in Bangladesh and some 57,000 people die every year in the country due to tobacco-related complications.
About tax on tobacco products, he said higher tobacco tax could decrease consumption of tobacco in the country. “Increasing tax on tobacco products by 10 percent will result in decrease of tobacco consumption by three to six percent in Bangladesh.”
Comments