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Government imposes stricter tobacco control amid unchecked youth smoking
A newly issued regulation rolls out stricter sales, marketing and packaging controls on cigarettes and e-cigarettes as part of the government's nationwide clampdown on tobacco use, especially among Indonesian youths.
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A volunteer of an anti-tobacco campaign talks to a cashier on March 7, 2021 about the dangers of youth smoking at a minimarket in Cengkareng, West Jakarta. The campaign supports the government’s goal to reduce smoking among youth to 8.7 percent of smokers by 2024. (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
T
he government has just ramped up its measures to curb tobacco use with the issuance of a new regulation that places stricter controls on tobacco sales and distribution.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report published earlier this year, the country ranks among the world’s largest cigarette markets and has a high prevalence of young smokers, with a staggering 35.4 percent of adult tobacco users, or more than 70 million Indonesians.
While the prevalence of tobacco use among individuals aged 15 years and above has been declining across the globe from 26.4 percent in 2010 to a projected 18.1 percent in 2030, Indonesia is one of the very few countries where it is projected to increase from 33.2 percent in 2010 to 38.7 percent in 2030.
The new tobacco rule, which was issued late last month among the series of implementing regulations of the 2023 Health Law, aims to prohibit sales of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes, also known as vaping devices) to people under 21 and pregnant women.
The new regulation also bans cigarette and e-cigarette sales within 200 meters from an educational institution as well as on digital platforms that do not have an age verification system. Retailers are also prohibited from selling individual cigarettes and all machine-rolled cigarettes (SPM), commonly known as rokok putih (white cigarettes), must be sold in packs of 20 cigarettes.
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Observers have previously noted that selling individual cigarettes tend to attract younger consumers, largely because they are sold without packages carrying warning labels and cost less up front.
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