RI to join global tobacco movement

RI to join global tobacco movement

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, the world's fifth-largest nation of
smokers, has committed itself to joining a global movement to
reduce the number of smokers in the world.

The movement will focus on drafting an international pact on
tobacco control which is hoped to be adopted by the United
Nations (UN) as a convention in 2003.

The convention will be an international legal instrument that
will monitor the global spread of tobacco products and improve
transnational tobacco control cooperation.

An official at the Drugs and Food Control Agency (POM)
Mawarwati pointed out that Indonesia "faces a growing number of
smokers, both male and female, along with a significant increase
of young smokers."

World Health Organization (WHO) data from 1997 show that
Indonesian smokers consume 168 billion cigarettes per year.

"We have government-issued regulations but the contents are
not as comprehensive as what will be discussed in the
international convention," Mawarwati said.

Indonesia will host a two-day consultation meeting between
Southeast Asian members of the World Health Organization (WHO, on
Thursday. Results of the meeting will be announced at an
international meeting in Geneva in May.

According to 1997 WHO data, China is the largest nation of
smokers with 1.67 trillion cigarettes consumed annually, followed
by the United States with 480 billion and then Japan with 317
billion.(emf)