T

he government has confirmed that a recently issued tobacco regulation would not affect the tobacco industry in the country or the livelihoods of farmers as they would still be allowed to grow nicotine-rich plants.

Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono said the tobacco regulation issued on Dec. 24 was simply aimed at protecting consumers from tobacco-related health problems.

The legislation was expected to protect health without harming the local economy, he added.

 “Certain groups think the regulation will affect tobacco farmers and industry. I tell you such thinking is not true; it’s baseless,” Agung told a press conference at the Communications and Information Ministry in Jakarta
on Friday.

He said the regulation did not place any prohibition on farmers growing tobacco for cigarettes. It also does not prohibit business players from running cigarette factories, advertising and promoting their products or marketing cigarettes. Neither does the regulation include any articles prohibiting people from buying cigarettes and smoking.

“We just want to regulate smoking so that vulnerable groups, such as underage children, don’t get into the unhealthy habit of smoking cigarettes,” Agung said, referring to the regulation that contains eight chapters and 65 articles.

The regulation is an implementation of Law No.36/2009 on health.

Tobacco companies, for example, can still advertise their products in public spaces but banners or any medium they use to advertise cigarettes should not exceed 72 square meters. The regulation also requires television stations to broadcast smoking advertisements only after 9:30 p.m. and before 5 a.m.

Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi said at the press conference that it had long been known that tobacco products posed a great danger to health and were the cause of chronic illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease.

Moreover, cigarettes were so addictive that once a person began smoking, it was difficult for them to quit, she added.

“However in Indonesia, tobacco use continues to increase and that is partly due to excessive cigarette advertising, promotion and sponsorship,” said Nafsiah.

Controlling cigarette smoking through controlling advertisements is one of three main strands that regulation 109/2012 delivers.

The two other strands are spreading clearer information on the impact on health by the inclusion of graphic warnings on cigarette packets, and protecting people from passive smoking through the designation of smoke-free zones in public places.

Under the regulation, tobacco packaging should also attach written warnings informing of the levels of tar and nicotine in cigarettes, including the fact that one cigarette contains more than 4,000 dangerous chemical substances and more than 43 carcinogenic chemicals. The warning notices should also include the prohibition of cigarette sales to children under the age of 18 and to pregnant women.

“We want to say just one thing to tobacco farmers in this country: There is no need to worry. The government is still concerned about and responsible for protecting the livelihoods of our tobacco farmers,” said Agung.

“They [tobacco farmers] are all the nation’s citizens who need to be protected. It would be wrong to support only certain groups of people and not others,” he added.