Guests in a discussion titled “The Need for a Tobacco Harm Reduction Strategy: Achieving the Government’s Health Agenda & Revenue Ambitions” pose for a photo on Saturday. The Voice of Vapers Bangladesh organises the discussion at a Dhaka hotel to mark the World Vape Day 2022. – Press release photo.
Speakers in a discussion have urged policymakers to incorporate Tobacco harm reduction strategy in their tobacco control plans and establish safer alternatives such as vaping products as smoking cessation medium like progressive nations around the world.
Voice of Vapers Bangladesh organised the discussion titled “The Need for a Tobacco Harm Reduction Strategy: Achieving the Government’s Health Agenda & Revenue Ambitions” at a Dhaka hotel on Saturday to mark the World Vape Day 2022.
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Health Diplomats’ president Dr Delon Human said that Bangladesh was widely recognized as a resilient nation, known for her prowess to prove her critics wrong.
‘Prime minister Sheikh Hasina envisions a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040. But to achieve this, there needs to be a credible harm reduction strategy as practiced by many developed countries. The authorities must consider regulating safer alternatives such as vaping and make them accessible to smokers wanting to quit. Set quality parameters, regulate it like any other industry and promote it as a cessation tool,’ Delon, also an expert on harm reduction, added.
Altamash Mahmood, Core Faculty Member – Public Health Nutrition at Bangladesh Open University, reiterated how vaping is established as a cessation tool and a safer alternative to smoking.
He said that most nations sought public health advocacy from Public Health England and, according to them, vaping was 95 per cent safer than smoking cigarettes.
According to the Consumer Choice Center in USA, about 62 lakh smokers will take up vaping if Bangladesh regulates the industry.
Schumann Zaman, president of Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Systems Traders Association, also spoke.