By Timothy S. Donahue

Top Takeaways:

• Bangladesh approved an ordinance banning e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and ENDS.
• Nicotine pouches are now classified as tobacco products under the law.
• Health warnings on tobacco packaging will increase to 75%, and all advertising will be banned.

Bangladesh has approved sweeping amendments to its tobacco control framework that would ban the use, production, and marketing of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other emerging nicotine products, according to a Ministry of Health press release.

The Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 was approved Wednesday by the Advisory Council at its regular weekly meeting, chaired by Muhammad Yunus at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka. The Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division has been directed to take immediate steps to promulgate the ordinance.

Under the approved amendment, all “emerging tobacco products,” including e-cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), and heated tobacco products (HTPs), will be prohibited. The ordinance also amends the legal definition of “tobacco products” to explicitly include nicotine pouches, thereby bringing them within the scope of existing tobacco control measures.

The ordinance further strengthens restrictions on tobacco use in public spaces. Smoking and the use of all forms of tobacco products will be banned in all public places and on public transportation. While the law allows for designated smoking areas, such provisions will now be subject to direct government directives, and the definitions of public places and public transportation have been expanded.

In addition, the amendment introduces a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. This includes point-of-sale displays and all forms of online, broadcast, and print media promotion.

Packaging and labeling requirements have also been tightened. The size of mandatory health warnings on tobacco packaging will increase from 50% to 75% of the package surface, one of the largest warning requirements globally.

The ordinance will take effect upon publication, marking one of the most comprehensive tobacco and nicotine regulatory expansions in the country’s history.