Indonesian Health Ministry Urges Strict Regulation on E-Cigarettes

Feb.25
Indonesian Health Ministry Urges Strict Regulation on E-Cigarettes
Indonesian Health Ministry warns of e-cigarette harm, calls for stricter regulations to reduce youth smoking rates.

According to an Antaranews report on February 20th, Bengget Saragih, head of the anti-smoking task force at the Indonesian Ministry of Health, stated that e-cigarettes are not an effective alternative to quitting traditional cigarettes.


During Thursday's (20th) media briefing, Bengali pointed out that both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes contain addictive nicotine, and stated that existing research confirms that both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes can have an impact on health. Compared to the 133 countries that strictly regulate or even ban e-cigarettes, the proportion of e-cigarette users in Indonesia has significantly increased, from 0.3% in 2011 to 3% in 2021.


The Prime Minister emphasized that the "Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024" strictly regulates the use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes. According to this regulation, both products must display 50% health warnings on their packaging, clearly indicate the presence of nicotine and other harmful substances, and should not be sold to individuals under the age of 21 or pregnant women. The Prime Minister hopes to implement this regulation to reduce the smoking rate among adolescents and avoid the burden of significant healthcare expenses in the next 10 to 15 years.


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