Harmonisation of Tobacco Regulations Should Consider Overall Impact
Jakarta, VIVA - The drafting of implementing regulations for Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024, concerning the implementation of Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health, has garnered attention from various parties.
Several stakeholders believe that the harmonisation process should be comprehensive, ensuring that tobacco control policies consider both health aspects and economic impacts.
This issue emerged during a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) entitled “Harmonisation of Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024 with the Health Law on the Tobacco Product Industry in Indonesia.” The discussion highlighted several proposed technical policies that could have a broad impact on the tobacco sector.
Some of the proposals that have come under scrutiny include the implementation of plain packaging, restrictions on the maximum levels of tar and nicotine, and restrictions on additives in tobacco products. These policies are considered by some stakeholders to potentially affect the sustainability of tobacco products on the market and the economic chain involving farmers, workers, and businesses.
Head of the Health Service Division of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK), Nani Rohani, said that the substance of the implementing regulations for PP 28/2024 focuses on efforts to protect public health, especially young people.
“The drafting of regulations regarding tar and nicotine levels needs to refer to practices in other countries to protect our children. Standardisation of packaging is also proposed to be plain, because it is believed that the design of cigarette packaging can attract the attention of children,” said Nani, Thursday, February 26, 2026.
In addition, the regulations in PP 28/2024 have also changed the provisions on the broadcast time for cigarette advertisements on television from 21:00-05:00 to 22:00-05:00 in order to reduce the potential exposure to minors.
On the other hand, the Expert Junior Legislative Drafter of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkum), Arif Susandi, revealed that so far his party has not received the official draft regarding the recommendations for restricting tar and nicotine levels and standardising cigarette packaging.
“So far, it has not been submitted to us and we have not been involved. Usually, before entering the harmonisation stage, the initiating ministry first prepares a draft and conducts initial discussions,” said Arif.
According to him, after the draft is submitted, the harmonisation process will be carried out jointly with relevant ministries and agencies to ensure that the regulations are in line with higher regulations and other regulations of equal status.