Students of Tejgaon College have demanded that the approved Tobacco Control Ordinance be converted into law. On Monday (16 February), a day-long signature campaign titled “Demand to enact the Tobacco Control Ordinance” was held on the college campus, jointly organized by Nari Maitree and Tejgaon College students. Through their signatures, students expressed their support for the immediate enactment of the ordinance into law, a press release said.
The organizers stated that the collected signatures will be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office to draw policymakers’ attention and expedite the process of enacting the ordinance into law.
The campaign was inaugurated by Professor A.K.M. Khurshed Alam, Chairman of the Accounting Department of Tejgaon College.
During the campaign, it was highlighted that according to The Tobacco Atlas 2025 published by the World Health Organization, approximately 21.3 million people aged 15 and above in Bangladesh use tobacco. Each year, around 200,000 people die from tobacco-related diseases—an average of more than 545 deaths per day. Tobacco use causes an annual economic loss of nearly BDT 39.2 thousand crore, effectively turning the situation into a “tobacco epidemic.”
In this context, at a meeting of the Advisory Council held on 24 December 2025, the proposed Smoking and Tobacco Products Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, submitted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was approved.
The approved ordinance includes several key provisions: Nicotine pouches have been included within the definition of “tobacco products; The use of all tobacco products has been banned in public places and public transport, in addition to smoking; The use, production, and marketing of emerging tobacco products have been prohibited.bThe provision for designated smoking areas has been made subject to government directives. The definitions and jurisdiction of “public place” and “public transport” have been expanded. The display of tobacco products at points of sale, as well as all forms of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship through the internet or any other medium, have been banned. Health warnings covering 75% of tobacco packaging—up from the existing 50%—have been mandated.
On behalf of the students, it was stated: “The interim government has approved this tobacco control ordinance proposed by the Ministry of Health. It is now the responsibility of the elected government to convert it into law and move forward with the commitment to build a tobacco-free country. Therefore, we are organizing this signature campaign to demand that the ordinance be passed into law during the first session of the upcoming Parliament.”
More than a thousand students participated in the day-long campaign.
