I have no idea whether
Rabindronath Tagore used to smoke or not! However, I still do not understand
why he said in his song 'Ami Jene Sune
Bish Koresi Pan’ (in English ‘I got poisoned knowingly’). Because we all
know, smoking is like taking poison. And those who smoke take this poison
knowingly. Many of us have been taking this poison day after day. On the other
hand, you and I are all unknowingly taking this poison on a regular basis.
Outside, on the streets, in the markets, we are constantly exposed to
secondhand smoke. The number of people in the country who do not smoke but are
indirectly victims of smoking is about 40 million. This information was obtained
from a survey called Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Bangladesh 2017. It is
sad but true that this number of indirect smokers is much higher than the
number of direct smokers. Even when using public transport, more than 20 million
people suffer from the effects of secondhand smoke. On the other hand, 8 million
people are victims of secondhand smoke in their own workplaces. According to
another source, smoking and tobacco-related diseases cause premature death of
about 161,000 people in the country every year (Tobacco Atlas 2020).
Needless to say,
smoking is deadly to health. Even then, when we go out, we see images of
smoking everywhere. This means that there is not enough awareness among the
people about this. With a view to controlling tobacco and smoking, the
Government of Bangladesh has enacted the ‘Smoking and Tobacco Products Uses
(Control) (Amendment) Act, 2013’ and regulations in 2015. The law states that
no person can smoke in a public place. The law also states that anyone who
smokes in a public place will be punished. Although the law says so, we do not
see much in the way of strict control of smoking. If the law was strictly
enforced, we would not have to see the image of smoking like this everywhere.
Smoking is prohibited
in public places and public transport in accordance with laws and regulations.
In other words, these areas have been declared as smoke-free areas. On the
other hand, there is a provision to have 'designated smoking areas or smoking
zones' in these non-smoking areas. Which means, though these public places are
said to be smoke-free, these are not 100% smoke-free legally. On the other
hand, the issue is inconsistent with the concept of a 'smoke-free zone'. It is
also a weak point of the law. Because no matter how much smoking is controlled,
the people around become victims of secondhand smoke in one way or another. It
is widely recognized through decades of research that allowing ‘designated
smoking areas (DSAs)’ not provide smoke-free areas for other members of the
public or workers in the same building. Smoke particles inevitably enter common
areas irrespective of the ventilation or restrictions on access.
Another thing to note
is that even though there is a provision to have a 'designated smoking area' in
the workplace or public place, its proper implementation is not very
noticeable. What we see especially in hotels or restaurants, 'designated smoking
area' is not that much effective. In the name of smoking zone, there is a lot
of smoking in the open space.
On the other hand,
even though there is a designated place for smoking in trains, launches or
public transport with multiple compartments, it is not considered as such.
There is no such thing in non-mechanical public transport. When this is the
overall picture, the 'smoke-free area' is just a matter of jokes.
For all these reasons,
non-smokers are not immune to the negative effects of smoking. They suffer from
the effects of secondhand smoke. Studies have shown that the effects of
secondhand smoke increase the risk of heart disease in non-smokers by up to
75%. We are constantly exposed to secondhand smoke in restaurants and on public
transport. Because all kinds of people have free movement in public places like
public transport and restaurants. In this context, special mention should be
made of children and pregnant women. Because of the effects of secondhand
smoke, children are exposed to serious health risks and pregnant women suffer
from a variety of health problems, including the birth of a handicapped child.
We need to get rid of
this horrible situation of secondhand smoke in public places like public
transport and restaurants. Otherwise, public health will face serious threats.
The crisis caused by the harm of smoking will not be good for the economy and
the environment as well. Strict enforcement of the law is equally important as
awareness at all levels is needed to get rid of the deadly effects of smoking.
Not only if the law is strictly enforced. We also have to take into account the
weak points of the law. Necessary steps have to be taken to amend the law to
cut the weakness. One of the weak points of the law is the provision of
'designated smoking areas' in the non-smoking areas.
In this situation, it
is time to declare all public places, including public transport and restaurants,
as 100% smoke-free areas. Therefore, in order to make public transport and
restaurants smoke-free, it would not be appropriate to have any kind of
'designated smoking area' in these places. The law should be amended to remove
designated smoking areas in public transport and restaurants.
Writer: Md. Shariful Islam, Project Coordinator, Tobacco
Control Project, Dhaka Ahsania Mission