Though tobacco control law has many attainments, tobacco companies taking the advantages of some loopholes continue to lure the youth to smoking. It is also impossible to benefit the common people with the law because of the limited scope of definition of tobacco products, absence of pictorial health warning on packets of tobacco products, and lack of 100% smoke-free public place and public transport. So, law amendment process should be strengthened, speakers said at a seminar on “Recent initiatives on tobacco control and necessities for law amendment” in Dhaka Reporters’ Unity auditorium on 29 September 2010 chaired by Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Save the Environment Movement (POBA) while Aminiul Islam Sujon, project coordinator of WBB Trust presented the key note. The program was moderated by Sayed Mahbubul Alam policy analyst and program manager of WBB Trust and was addressed by among others Kazi Enayet Hossain, executive director of SCOPE and executive director of RANI Md. Fazlul Haq Khan.

Environmentalist Abu Naser Khan said that farmland is being reduced and environment is being deteriorated for tobacco farming which will increase food shortage, diseases and pollution. He recommended stopping all subsidies and controlling tobacco farming through law amendment. He added that as people are getting ill for tobacco usage, the expenditures should be brought about from the companies through taxation. He also recommended collecting more tax for managing alternative employment for the bidi workers.

Shamsul Alam, project director of ACLAB, Nipen Chandra Bala, program manager of IACIB, Tamanna Rahman, program officer of RTM International, AKM Khalilullah, public relation officer of NATAB, SM Saikat, executive director of SERAC Bangladesh, Syeda Anonna Rahman, National Advocacy Officer of WBB Trust, Md. Shah Alam, executive director of SREC, Patuakhali, Mahbub Alam, executive director of ASIA, officer of SAC Rajlaxmi Choudhury and executive director of DISK Illias Sikdar Farhad took part in open discussion of the seminar.