Dhaka, June 5 -- Public health professionals and cultural figures have voiced grave concern over the rising use of tobacco products among youth, warning that the trend could severely harm both national health and economic stability.

At a discussion organized by MANAS, a leading anti-tobacco and drug prevention NGO, speakers said that the youth - a major segment of the country's population and its economic backbone - are increasingly falling into the grip of tobacco addiction, driven in part by aggressive marketing from tobacco companies.

"If the young generation becomes addicted to tobacco and drugs, it will damage their productivity and ultimately deal a blow to the economy," they cautioned.

Currently, 3.78 crore people in Bangladesh ...