Public Health on Top

Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has recently taken the initiative to formulate standards for nicotine pouches, a product considered harmful to public health. A committee, namely Tobacco and Tobacco Products Technical Committee, has already been formed, which includes representatives from tobacco companies while excluding the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) and anti-tobacco organizations. Such inclusion of tobacco companies as stakeholders in the policy process marks a blatant violation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). It should be noted that the Ministry of Health had previously proposed a ban on nicotine pouches, a proposal that had been axed from the finalized version of newly amended tobacco control law. Recent development suggests that necessary actions to market nicotine pouches are underway. We hope the government will prioritize public health above all and do the needful regarding nicotine pouches.