Bangladesh Bans E-Cigarettes Under Tougher Tobacco Law

Bangladesh’s interim government has issued a sweeping ordinance banning e-cigarettes, vapes and all other emerging tobacco products, significantly tightening the country’s tobacco control regime in a move aimed at protecting public health.

The Smoking and Tobacco Products Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 was promulgated on Wednesday by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, officials said.

In a statement, the Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO) said the amendment was designed to strengthen the existing 2005 tobacco control law, shield people from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine, and bring scattered regulations under a single, comprehensive legal framework.

Under the ordinance, the definition of tobacco products has been expanded to include electronic cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches. The government has also been empowered to classify additional products as tobacco through official notification, allowing authorities to respond swiftly to new market trends.

For the first time, the law introduces separate definitions for nicotine and nicotine products. The definition of a “public place” has also been significantly broadened, reports bdnews24.com.

Smoking and the use of any tobacco product are now prohibited in all public places and on all forms of public transport. Penalties for violations have been increased sharply, with fines raised from Tk 300 to a maximum of Tk 2,000.

The revised law imposes a blanket ban on tobacco advertising and promotion across print and broadcast media, online platforms and social media. It also prohibits the display of tobacco packets at points of sale, the use of tobacco branding in corporate social responsibility activities, and financial sponsorship by tobacco companies of events, programmes or initiatives.

In a move aimed at protecting children and vulnerable groups, the sale of tobacco products has been banned within 100 metres of schools, hospitals, clinics, playgrounds and children’s parks.

The ordinance makes the production, import, export, storage, sale and use of e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products criminal offences. Violators may face up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 500,000, or both.

The law also bans the production, marketing and use of bidis made from kumbhi and tendu leaves, repealing a separate 1975 ordinance that previously regulated bidi manufacturing.

Packaging regulations have been tightened further, requiring tobacco products to carry colour health warnings and graphic images covering at least 75 per cent of the packet. Products sold without standardised packaging will be prohibited.

According to the CAO, enforcement powers have been strengthened substantially, including provisions for cancelling business licences, seizing goods and initiating prosecutions under criminal law, signalling a tougher stance against tobacco use and related industries in Bangladesh.