Govt. has enacted Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act 2005 aiming to reduce tobacco uses. According to clause no 10 it is mandatory to provide pictorial warning in the packet of all types of tobacco products. This provision will be effective from 26th March, 2016. Exercising pictorial warning about harmful consequence of tobacco in the packet is the most effective way of awareness building. Speakers gave this opinion in a view exchange meeting entitled "Role of media to implement the provision of putting pictorial warning in the packet of tobacco products". The program arranged jointly by Protect to Journalist and WBB Trust at Koiborto meeting room, WBB Trust at 30th july 2015.
Speeches given by Debra Efroymson, Regional Director, Health Bridge; Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam, Technical Advisor of The Union; Kazi Shohag and Showkat Ali Khan, Director, Protect to Journalist in the program that is presided by Nikhil Bhadra, Executive Director, Protect to Journalist. Syeda Anonna Rahman, National Advocacy Officer of WBB Trust has conducted the meeting and paper presented by Syed Saiful Alam, Media Advocacy Officer of WBB Trust.
Nikhil Bhadra said it is made mandatory to provide pictorial warning in the packet of all types of tobacco products mentioned in the act. About more than 70 countries already implement the provision of of putting pictorial warning. So as a responsible media worker we have to keep an eye whether tobacco companies are providing pictorial warning in the or not.
Syed Mahbubul Alam said a picture is thousand time stronger than a word. Research found that Exercising pictorial warning about harmful consequence of tobacco in the packet is the most effective way of awareness building; decrease the rate of diseases and deaths; reducing tobacco uses among the people. Companies adopted cunning strategies to implement the warning provision. Media and tobacco control workers have to be alert in order to ensure that companies cannot create any confusion in putting pictorial warning in the packet of tobacco products.
Debra Efroymson said in a word tobacco companies can be called 'death hawker'. More than 4 thousand research proved that tobacco products are responsible for public health, environmental and economic loses. Pictorial warning increases the rate of tobacco product abandonment. That's why companies will adopt cunning strategies to implement the warning provision. But the state has to take strict steps to ensure putting of pictorial warning for the sake of public health, environment and economy.
Journalist Raju Hamid, Gazi Shahnewaz, Afroza Naznin, Ejajul Haque Mukul, Mizan Rahman, Mahbub Masum, Jahangir Kiron, Shahnaz Mollah took part in the open discussion. Besides that, Health Researcher of TABINAZ Rokeya Begum, Program Coordinator of NATAB AKM Khalilullah, Tobacco Control Officer of ACLAB Md. Maksudullah, Officer of TCRC Mohiuddin and more gave speeches in the meeting.