Smoking kills 2.5 lakh a year in Bangladesh

Every year 2.5 lakh Bangladeshis die due to tobacco and the rate of death is 28 per hour, according to a report of World Health Organization (WHO) that was presented in a seminar yesterday.

Forty two percent of the country's men are addicted to tobacco while 78.8 percent of the male slum dwellers in Dhaka and its adjacent areas are tobacco smokers, the report added.

Ninety five percent of the total drug addicts of the country smoke tobacco while in last five years the number of smokers has increased by 25 lakh, it added.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, who was the chief guest of the seminar, said the government has enacted the tobacco control law and is working to stop tobacco cultivation in the country.

The minister also assured of promoting anti drug and tobacco advertisements at all TV channels. 

Justice ABM Khairul Haque, chairman of Bangladesh Law Commission, emphasised that the act has no provision for monitoring the agencies which are assigned to implement the act.

Addiction starts with smoking and tobacco is more addictive than heroin or cocaine, so the habit should be kicked, said Arup Ratan Choudhury, founder president of Madok Drrabbo O Nesha Nerodh Sangstha (Manas) which organised the seminar at Jatiya Press Club.