Photo: Messenger
Global advocacy group We Are Innovation (WAI) has urged the Bangladesh government to reconsider proposed amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Product Usage Act, warning that a ban on Innovative Nicotine Products (INPs) could be counterproductive. In an open letter, WAI outlined strategies that have successfully reduced smoking rates in countries such as Sweden, the UK, and New Zealand.
Drawing on its 2024 Effective Anti-smoking Policies Global Index and Path to Smoke-free platform, WAI argues that integrating INPs into tobacco control could save up to 920,000 lives in Bangladesh. It warns that prohibition could fuel black markets and undermine harm reduction efforts. Sweden’s 5.3% smoking rate—the lowest in Europe—demonstrates the effectiveness of a regulatory approach that combines anti-smoking measures with access to alternatives such as vapes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products, the letter stated.
The letter cites global success stories, including Czechia’s 7% smoking reduction since 2020 due to lower taxes on vaping, Greece’s 6% decline aided by transparent risk communication, Japan’s 52% drop in cigarette sales following heated tobacco regulation, and New Zealand’s decline from 16.4% in 2011 to 6.8% in 2023 through vaping promotion.
WAI urges a regulatory framework that maintains strict controls on cigarettes while allowing regulated INPs, ensures product quality and safety, implements youth protections without restricting adult access, adopts risk-based taxation to encourage switching to less harmful alternatives, provides transparent consumer information, and fosters innovation in harm reduction.
The organization stresses that regulating INPs can reduce health disparities, particularly among lower-income groups, and curb illicit markets that thrive under prohibition. WAI has also offered to collaborate with the Bangladesh government, providing research and expert consultation to support evidence-based regulation.
Messenger/Tushar
