Young doctors call for higher tobacco prices to curb youth smoking

Young doctors on Saturday called for a significant increase in tobacco prices in the FY2026–27 national budget to discourage tobacco use among young people and protect the country’s large youth population.

The demand was raised at a human chain titled “Effective Tobacco Price Increase in the FY2026–27 Budget to Discourage Youth Tobacco Use”, organised by National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh in front of the National Press Club.

Speakers said around 25% to 28% of the population in Bangladesh belongs to the youth demographic, citing data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. They stressed that protecting young people from tobacco addiction is crucial for safeguarding the country’s future.

They also said Bangladesh has the highest tobacco use rate among South Asian countries, with 35.3% of adults using tobacco products, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017.

Tobacco-related diseases cause nearly 200,000 premature deaths annually, while health and environmental losses linked to tobacco reached nearly Tk87,000 crore in 2024, more than double the revenue generated from the tobacco sector, speakers added.

The speakers warned that the easy availability of low-priced cigarettes is contributing to a rise in tobacco use among youths, posing a major public health threat. They said effective tax and price measures could encourage nearly 500,000 adults to quit smoking and prevent more than 372,000 young people from starting the habit.

At the programme, participants proposed several tobacco tax reforms for the upcoming budget. They suggested merging the low- and medium-tier cigarette categories and setting the minimum retail price at Tk100 for a 10-stick pack. They also proposed fixing the retail price at Tk150 for high-tier cigarettes and Tk200 for premium-tier cigarettes.

In addition, they demanded a specific supplementary duty of Tk4 per pack across all cigarette tiers.

Speaking at the event, Ramisa Fariha said a large share of Bangladesh’s population is made up of young people and that a substantial increase in tobacco prices is needed to protect them from the harmful effects of tobacco.

Mukarrabin Haque Nibir said tobacco use among children and adolescents in Bangladesh remains alarming. Referring to the Tobacco Atlas 2023, he said smoking prevalence among children aged 10 to 14 stands at 2.48%.

Among others, intern doctor Towhidul Islam, Mehnaz Tamanna, Sharif, Shamim, Prabhat, Safin, Juha, Munna and Amrita also spoke.

Young doctors and medical students from different medical colleges across the country took part in the human chain.