British American Tobacco Bangladesh - Smoking and Tobacco Regulations in Bangladesh Overview
As a company committed to operating responsibly and in compliance with all applicable laws, we fully adhere to Bangladesh’s tobacco control regulations.
The tobacco industry in Bangladesh is primarily regulated by:
- Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, 2005
- Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Rules, 2015
- Smoking and Tobacco Usage (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2013
Key provisions under the 2013 amendment include:
- Wider definition of tobacco products - Cigarettes, Cigars, Biri, Gul, Jorda, and Khaini are all classified as tobacco products
- Ban on tobacco sales to minors - No tobacco products to anyone under 18 years of age
- Higher fines for public smoking - Authorised officers may issue a fine of Tk. 300 for smoking in a public place, an increase from the previous fine of Tk. 50
- Ban on advertising at POS (Point of Sale) – All tobacco product advertising and promotion at point of sale prohibited
- Pictorial Health Warning - 50% Pictorial Health Warning coverage on both sides of the principal display areas
- Regulation on descriptors – Terms such as ‘Light’, ‘Mild’, ‘Low-Tar’, ‘Extra’, and ‘Ultra’ prohibited
- Wider public place smoking ban - Current list of public places as per 2013 Amended Law:
- Educational institutions
- government office
- Semi-government offices of autonomous bodies and private offices
- Libraries
- Elevators
- Indoor Workplace
- Hospitals and clinics
- Court buildings
- Airport buildings
- Sea-port buildings
- River-port buildings
- Railway station building
- Bus-terminal buildings
- Cinema halls
- Exhibition centers
- Theatre halls
- Shopping buildings
- Restaurants enclosed by four walls
- Public toilets
- Children’s parks
- Fair or queue of any public transport
- Any other place commonly used by the public
- Restriction on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) branding – Company names, logos, trademarks & symbols cannot be used for # CSR initiative branding.