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Tobacco ad ban essential, expert says
A cigarette and tobacco advertising ban is essential in the fight to curb smoking addiction, as the tobacco industry relies heavily on ads to ensure cigarette consumption stays at or above a certain level, according to an expert
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cigarette and tobacco advertising ban is essential in the fight to curb smoking addiction, as the tobacco industry relies heavily on ads to ensure cigarette consumption stays at or above a certain level, according to an expert.
"The tobacco industry is too strong, even if you implement any tobacco control regulation,' said Rob Moodie, a professor of public health at the University of Melbourne, on Saturday.
He said Indonesia would be continuously burdened by the health impacts of cigarette smoking unless it could stop the influence of the tobacco industry.
Data from Global Adults Tobacco Survey (GATS, 2011) shows the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults in Indonesia stood at 34.8 percent, comprising 67.4 percent in men and 4.5 percent in women.
'My biggest concern when I look at the smoking data in Indonesia is not that 67 percent of Indonesian men smoke, but that 40 percent of 13 to 15-year-old adolescents here are smokers,' Moodie told The Jakarta Post.
He said through ads, cigarette smoking became a part of normal life.
'A constant barrage of advertising reminds people that it's cool to smoke, you're a better person if you smoke, you're a more attractive person if you smoke, all of these things,' he said.
Government Regulation No.109/2012 on tobacco control places tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising in the media. On television, tobacco companies are now only able to buy slots between 9:30 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Yet, curbing the influence of tobacco ads remains an uphill task.
'Tobacco companies are much smarter than that. They influence public officials and use the House of Representatives to retain their rights to advertise as much as possible, as long as they pay,' said Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi.
