FACT: Technical regulatory roadmap needed for tobacco control
Jakarta – Forum Warga Kota (FAKTA) Indonesia has stated that a comprehensive technical regulatory roadmap with an open timeline is needed for tobacco control as outlined in Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024 concerning the implementation of Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health.
FAKTA Indonesia’s Secretary-General Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto stated in Jakarta on Monday that GR 28/2024 has entered its second year. The state has now established legal instruments to control tobacco and electronic cigarette products, ranging from prohibitions and restrictions to obligations, including restrictions on sales to children, limitations on digital advertising, and the authority to cut off access.
“On paper, the state appears serious. In the field, what is evident is administrative delay that benefits industry. Official government data shows the scale of the problem is massive. The number of active smokers is estimated to reach approximately 70 million people, and the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (SKI) recorded 7.4 per cent of smokers from the age group 10–18 years,” he said.
Previously, the 2013 Basic Health Research recorded a prevalence of 7.2 per cent, which increased to 9.1 per cent in 2018. This means, according to Tubagus, that over the past decade, the state has failed to maintain a stable downward trend.
He then noted that The Economic Cost of Smoking in Indonesia study (2019) estimated the economic cost of smoking-related illnesses in Indonesia in 2019 to range between Rp 184.36 trillion and Rp 410.76 trillion—approximately 1.16–2.59 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Direct healthcare service costs resulting from smoking alone are estimated to reach Rp 17.9–27.7 trillion. According to him, this figure is more than sufficient to fund various national preventive health programmes, yet these losses continue to recur every year.
Despite having legal instruments, he said, what is lacking is the courage to use them consistently. Whilst cross-ministerial technical regulations have not been fully operationalised, industry continues to move forward. Electronic cigarette promotions appear in modern lifestyle packaging.
Young influencers market products with narratives of freedom and creativity. Age verification in online transactions is often merely a click of a statement rather than actual identity checking.
According to him, digital enforcement must be carried out based on effective age verification and access termination to content that violates regulations. Regional governments must be equipped with concrete enforcement standard operating procedures and measurable performance indicators.
“The state is slow. Industry is fast. This situation is worsened by discourse about adding layers or tiers to tobacco excise tax under the pretext of managing illegal cigarettes. Technically, fiscal policy is indeed the domain of government. But the public has the right to ask: will this scheme reduce access to cheap cigarettes or instead maintain their affordability?” he said.
He stated that evidence-based consumption control demonstrates that price is the most effective instrument for reducing prevalence, particularly among young age groups. If fiscal policy weakens price pressure, he said, then public health messaging becomes contradictory.
“The state cannot on one hand speak about protecting the younger generation whilst on the other opening space for the stability of cheap cigarette markets,” he said.
Conflict of interest, he said, is always a shadow in tobacco control policy. Industry has strong lobbying capacity, economic influence, and distribution networks. Because of this, Tubagus said, administrative law requires the state not only to be neutral but actively to protect public health interests.
“GR 28/2024 affirms that the safeguarding of addictive substances aims to protect society and reduce consumption prevalence. If this objective is not achieved due to administrative delay, then what occurs is not merely bureaucratic inefficiency. That is policy failure,” he said.