The government of Bangladesh has passed a law banning the production, import, export, storage, sale and use of vapes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products. The ban—part of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Use Control (Amendment) Ordinance—took effect Dec. 30, according to the Dhaka Tribune.
The new law makes Bangladesh the most-populous country in the world to prohibit personal use of vaping products. India and Brazil have larger populations, but their vape bans do not extend to punishing individuals for private use.
Violators of the law are subject to penalties of up to six months in jail and fines of up to 500,000 Bangladeshi taka (equivalent to about 4,090 U.S. dollars).
With a population of more than 170 million people, Bangladesh is the world’s eighth most-populous country. It has the world’s fifth largest number of tobacco users, according to Global Action to End Smoking. Both cigarettes and toxic oral products that contain tobacco are popular, with 31.2 percent of the adult population using one or both products.
Bangladesh imposed a ban on vaping product imports last January, andissued a directive prohibiting vape manufacture in July.
The new ordinance was proposed late last year by the health ministry, and quickly received approval from President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
Because of declining cigarette sales, state governments in the U.S. and countries around the world are looking to vapor products as a new source of tax revenue.
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