Amendment to tobacco control law: An essential step for public health protection
The tobacco-related crisis in Bangladesh is worsening daily. Among South Asian countries, Bangladesh has the highest rate of adult tobacco use (35.3%). Additionally, nearly 40 million people are exposed to secondhand smoke, significantly increasing their health risks. Every year, 161,000 people in the country die prematurely due to tobacco-related diseases. The economic burden of treating these diseases and the loss of productivity amounts to approximately 305.6 billion BDT annually, which is about 80 billion BDT more than the revenue generated from the tobacco sector.