Public health concerns have resurfaced in Bangladesh following discussions about a possible relaxation of the e-cigarette ban. In response, the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance on Saturday, April 4, 2026, called on the Ministry of Health to maintain a firm position on the prohibition of e-cigarettes.

The organization stated that a special parliamentary committee reviewing the Smoking and Tobacco Products Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 has recommended easing restrictions on the import, production, distribution, and use of e-cigarettes. It warned that such a move could increase e-cigarette use, especially among youth, contradicting the government’s tobacco control commitments. The alliance emphasized that e-cigarettes are not safe and that scientific studies link them to lung damage, heart disease, and stroke. It also noted that nicotine replacement therapy is already recognized as an essential medicine for smoking cessation.

The group urged the government to retain the ban and swiftly enact the ordinance into law to protect public health, citing a 2016 Supreme Court directive to phase out tobacco use and avoid approving new tobacco products.