Advertisements on tobacco provoking youths to smoke and drug
Terming tobacco as a gateway to drugs, experts at a discussion called for saving the country’s youths for the sake of building Smart Bangladesh. Smoking can provoke the youths to take the path of drug use. Direct or indirect advertisements of tobacco in Mass Media (cinema, TV drama, and web series) are helping motivate youths to smoking. If it goes on, it can spoil the future generation, they said.
The remarks were made at a discussion titled “Obligation of smoking scenario in cinema and effectiveness of law’. Anti-tobacco organization ‘MANAS’ and the Department of Film and Publication (DFP) jointly organized the event at the DFP conference room at Circuit House Road in the capital on 5 March 2024.
While presenting the keynote paper, Umme Jannat, Project Coordinator of MANAS, said article 5 of Bangladesh’s Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) Act 2005 prohibits the use of advertisements on tobacco products in Mass Media, but the advertisement on the matter is being noticed in cinema, TV drama and web-series.
The target audience of those advertisements are youths, who are being allured to the path of smoking, putting the nation at risk, she observed, calling on all concerned to take necessary steps for enforcing the Smoking Act.
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Golam Mohiuddin Faruk, President of the Bangladesh Cancer Society said, drug addiction and smoking can hamper the working capacity of youths. If productive youth force is not built up, it would be tough to make Smart Bangladesh, he said, calling for taking necessary action in this regard.
In her address, Nuzhat Yeasmin, Managing Director of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, said FDC is eager to provide all kinds of support in making a tobacco-free Bangladesh. Public health and law expert Vital Strategies, Senior Technical Advisor, Ad. Syed Mahbubul Alam, said, we cannot tolerate those things, which cause damage to our society.
SM Golam Kibria, Director General of DFP, who attended as the chief guest, stressed on strict enforcement of anti-tobacco law in the national interest. If needed, the law can be amended to save the youths, who need to be protected in the interest of making Smart Bangladesh. The chief guest also called for conducting awareness-raising activities across the country.
Heroic freedom fighter Prof. Dr. ArupRatan Choudhury, founder President of MANAS, while presiding over the event, observed that the proper enforcement of the law is required to ensure healthy lifestyle among people, which can help achieve the target of tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040.
If we want a drug and tobacco-free country, it is needed to properly implement the anti-tobacco law, said Dr Arup, seeking the support of all concerned in this regard.
Director General of the Mass Communication Department Md. Nizamul Kabir, Bangladesh Film Censor Board Vice Chairman Khaleda Begum, and the organizing secretary of MANAS, Matiur Rahman Talukder were present and gave the speech. DFP Director (Administration and Publication) Mohammad Ali Sarkar delivered the welcome speech. The program was moderated by Abu Rayhan, Senior Project and Communication Officer, MANAS.
Representatives of the Department of Film and Publication, Bangladesh Film Censor Board, Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, Aid Foundation, DAS, TCRC, DIU, Bureau of Economic Research (BER), WBB Trust, National Heart Foundation, and Dhaka Ahsania Mission also present and spoke in the meeting.
