Indonesia raises minimum age to buy cigarettes, bans retail cigarette sales

Under government regulations signed by President Joko Widodo last week, Indonesia has raised the minimum age for buying tobacco to 21 and banned the sale of single cigarettes, a cheap alternative popular in local roadside stalls.

The regulation aims to "reduce the rate of smoking and prevent early smoking". Among the provisions is a ban on the sale of cigarettes within 200 metres of schools and playgrounds. The regulation comes into effect immediately.

Anti-smoking advocates say some new regulations do not go far enough to curb smoking. Photo: Reuters

The new regulations also ban the sale of traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes on e-commerce apps and social media sites. Advertising of tobacco on social media is also prohibited. Penalties for violations range from written reprimands to temporary bans on tobacco advertising. The new advertising rules will take effect after two years.

Anti-smoking advocates say some of the new regulations do not go far enough to curb smoking. For Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, a tobacco control advocate, some provisions are reasonable, such as those governing e-cigarettes, but the government needs to enact stricter regulations to ensure oversight and enforcement.

Manik Marganamahendra, a youth tobacco control advocate, also said minimum age enforcement needs to be stricter, such as ID verification.

Indonesia has also tried to curb smoking by raising excise taxes on tobacco products almost every year for the past few years, including a 10% increase this year.

Indonesia is a country of 270 million people and one of the world's top tobacco producers, with about 70 million adult smokers, according to a 2021 survey by the World Health Organization.

In a 2023 survey by the Indonesian Ministry of Health , 7.4% of the country's 70 million smokers were between the ages of 10 and 18, with the 15-19 age group being the age group with the largest number of smokers.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/indonesia-tang-do-tuoi-toi-thieu-duoc-mua-thuoc-la-cam-ban-thuoc-la-le-post305710.html