In Bangladesh, tobacco is taken usually in two ways: by smoking and by chewing. Chewing rate is comparatively high in rural areas and among factory workers where smoking is hazardous or technically banned. In our calculation, about 42% of the total adult males are tobacco users by smoking or by chewing or by both ways. Female tobacco users are about 30% of the total adult female population of whom 2% are smokers and 28% are chewers. Children smokers in the 13-1 years age group are 14% and 7-12 years 2% of the total respective age group population. Most of them are males and almost all of them smoke, rather than chew.

Smoking rate is very high in the poorer section of the population. But surprisingly it is highest among the businessmen and socio-political workers. It is more surprising that workless people who don't earn even a single penny for months and the beggars, whose earnings are very meagre , anyway manage to smoke regularly. And the most shocking news is that most of the members of the Anti-tobacco campaign are smokers themselves!

Although malnutrition and unhygienic conditions are the cause of the common diseases in Bangladesh, tobacco plays a very damaging role in cases of tuberculosis, blood pressure, chronic bronchitis, bronchogenic carcinoma etc. Most of the people, even the most educated people care very little about the common dangers associated with taking tobacco until they really face them.

Let's shed light on the recently passed Anti-smoking and Tobacco Control Act in our parliament. This law has banned smoking in public places like bus-stations, airport, any auditorium, educational institutions etc. But the point is that these types of places are already smoking free. Because, many anti tobacco organisations like Students Anti Smoking Committee-SASC (the first anti-tobacco organisation in Bangladesh), ADHUNIK, BATA, CAT, ATP have successfully made these places almost smoking-free through their public awareness campaigns and other related activities. So it is necessary to specify the public places more carefully.

We can mention the method applied in Australia for making their state smoking free. They have banned all types of open smoking especially on roads and open places.

Our strategies are as follows:
1. To make countrywide extensive and meticulous tobacco survey.

2. Convincing the government and its various sectors to play a major role in the anti -tobacco campaign.

3. Mass media coverage.

4. School and Local council oriented health education all over the country, especially in rural areas.