Deputy Health Minister says nicotine addiction threatens Indonesia's Golden Vision

Surabaya (ANTARA) - Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus of the Republic of Indonesia said nicotine addiction poses a threat to realising Indonesia’s Golden Vision. “Creating superior humans is far more expensive than building the Jakarta–Surabaya toll road. We must realise that the state’s duty is to ensure that this budget is targeted at the nation’s intellect, not wasted as smoke,” he said while attending the Indonesia Conference on Tobacco Control (ICTOH) 2026 at Airlangga University (Unair) in Surabaya on Thursday. In the conference titled ‘Uncovering Tobacco and Nicotine Addiction for a Healthy Indonesia’, Benjamin noted that the stunting elimination programme, which consumes a substantial portion of the budget, faces serious challenges due to high smoking rates in society. “I, together with the head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), will continue to push for tight checks and firm regulation so that our young people are not trapped in dual addiction. Let them be healthy by exercising, rather than being exposed to drugs through the vape liquids they use,” he said. He added that the threat of tobacco and drug addiction can undermine the quality of Indonesia’s human resources, thereby risking Indonesia’s position as one of the world’s leading economies in the future. Benjamin emphasised that tobacco control must continue to safeguard farmers’ livelihoods through a just and sustainable economic transition policy. He stated that the government is committed to bridging the aspirations of tobacco farmers with cross-ministry policies so that the process of commodity diversification does not sacrifice public welfare. “The state will not abandon tobacco farmers. The key is political commitment. We will improve the health of the nation, but we must ensure that the farmers’ livelihoods remain secure,” he said.