Chairman of the Tobacco Disease Control Working Team (PPAT) at the\nMinistry of Health (Kemenkes), Benget Saragih, said that data from\nIndonesia\u2019s 2023 Health Survey show that the adult smoking rate is\naround 35.5%, or about 68.8 million people. Meanwhile, smoking among\nchildren aged 10-21 stands at around 12.4%, and child smoking tends to\nrise even as overall prevalence declines. Accordingly, the government is\ndrafting limits on nicotine and tar levels in tobacco products to\naddress the problem of smoking prevalence in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\u2018There is actually no safe limit for nicotine and tar, there isn\u2019t.\nNicotine is certainly harmful to health. The point is how to ensure that\naddiction is not determined by nicotine levels. If you look at smokers,\nwhen they do not smoke they feel dizzy. That is because the level is\nvery high. If you look at smokers from abroad, none have high nicotine\nlevels. That is all, so that the impact is not too harmful to health,\u2019\nhe said at a recent event organised by the Association for the\nDevelopment of Pesantren and Community (P3M).<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Benget added that the policy will not be implemented\nimmediately but phased in through the Coordinating Ministry for Human\nDevelopment and Culture (Kemenko PMK).<\/p>\n
\u2018This will be implemented by Kemenko PMK, and it will be rolled out\ngradually. Perhaps later the Ministry of Agriculture will educate our\nfarmers, train them, or provide seeds with nicotine levels that are not\nso high. That is what must be done. It must be a comprehensive approach;\nit cannot involve just one party,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
In the same venue, Assistant Deputy for Capacity Building and Health\nResilience at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and\nCulture, Dr.\u00a0Nancy Dian Anggraeni, added that the policy has been\nstudied with a panel of experts, including academics and\nprofessionals.<\/p>\n
\u2018This is what is being considered as well. Therefore, for the timing\nof implementation, the recommendations may be that it cannot be direct.\nIt will be phased to prepare both the farmers\u2019 side and the industry or\nother actors,\u2019 Nancy said.<\/p>\n
Nancy stated that the regulation is likely to take the form of a\nministerial decree that will provide a reference for the\nministries\/agencies involved to socialise the rules.<\/p>\n
\u2018Throughout, this will not be set immediately, especially for kretek.\nKretek remains somewhat difficult in terms of nicotine and tar levels.\nBut for the industry such as machine-made kretek cigarettes, they\nalready export widely with similar levels, so they can implement it more\ndirectly,\u2019 she explained.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Deputy for Accreditation at the National\nStandardisation Agency (BSN), Wahyu Purbowasito, emphasised that the\npolicy requires harmonisation capable of accommodating the interests of\nall parties involved in the industry.<\/p>\n
\u2018If harmonisation is unilateral, well, that is another matter. There\nare interests of the industry and health. Health comes first, but we\nmust be realistic that if people do not smoke, they will not be healthy\neither. If it is banned, farmers cannot produce\u2014what then? The\ngovernment must be mindful of this. If not, it could spark horizontal\nconflict,\u2019 he said. (E-3)<\/p>\n
Director of the Association for the Development of Pesantren and\nCommunity (P3M), Sarmidi Husna, stressed the need for thoughtful and\ncomprehensive thinking in drafting a maximum nicotine limit.<\/p>\n
Another issue highlighted is the plan to ban certain additives in\ntobacco products.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Agriculture understands the character of local\ntobacco varieties that grow according to climate and soil conditions\nacross regions.<\/p>\n
Stakeholders in the tobacco ecosystem are seeking protection from the\nidea of nicotine and tar limits on tobacco products.<\/p>\n
Standardising nicotine and tar content to excessively low levels\ncould wipe out kretek cigarettes, a distinctive Indonesian product.<\/p>\n
The policy discussions that open space for legalisation of illegal\ntobacco operators through the addition of layers or categories in the\ntobacco tax tariff have drawn criticism from academics and observers of\nlaw.<\/p>\n
Heart specialist Dr Dony Yugo Hermanto reminded that vaping carries\nrisks comparable to conventional cigarettes. The National Narcotics\nAgency (BNN) reports etomidate in vape liquids.<\/p>\n
Stakeholders in the tobacco ecosystem are seeking protection from the\nidea of nicotine and tar limits on tobacco products.<\/p>\n
IHT again faces policy pressures. Various regulations have emerged in\nrecent years.<\/p>\n
The discourse around adding layers or tariff categories to the\ntobacco tax regime has raised concerns among workers and industry\nplayers.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nicotine-and-tar-restrictions-aimed-at-reducing-smoking-harm-1779546105", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }