The recent distribution of free cigarettes near Dhaka University is disappointing to say the least. It is more so a shocking misstep at a time when Bangladesh should be actively discouraging, not normalizing, smoking -- especially in and around educational spaces.

Universities are meant to be cornerstones of learning, aspiration, and healthy debate, where young adults prepare for responsible roles in society. Handing out cigarettes in such a setting, on top of violating laws against it, is therefore also trivializing an irresponsible and hazardous action in front of young minds.

Smoking has famously been linked to respiratory disease, heart problems, cancer, and premature death, and an enabling of something so clearly unhealthy undermines ongoing public health efforts to reduce tobacco consumption.

Public policy in recent years has rightly focused on reducing smoking rates through awareness campaigns, restrictions on advertising, graphic packaging warnings, and higher taxes on tobacco products.

These are positive and necessary steps, but actions such as handing out free cigarettes near a major university counteract those efforts, risk normalizing smoking among young people, and send mixed signals about our collective priorities.

Discouraging tobacco use is not about moral policing; it is about protecting public health, especially the health of young adults who are most susceptible to marketing ploys and peer pressure. Educational campuses, at the very least, should be smoke-free -- where future leaders are encouraged to choose health over habit.

We should collectively be moving towards a culture that rejects smoking, not one that inadvertently encourages it. Free cigarettes near an educational institution may generate momentary excitement, but it does nothing to advance the long-term wellbeing of our youth or our nation.

Let us instead push in the direction of healthier choices, clearer public health messaging, and environments that support rather than undermine public well-being.