Indonesia: No Progress on Cigarette Package Warnings

Source from:  The Jakarta Post 07/03/2014

Four months before the implementation of a regulation requiring pictorial warnings on the dangers of smoking on cigarette packaging, efforts to comply appear to be at a standstill, a prominent health expert has said.

Widyastuti Soerojo from the University of Indonesia's School of Public Health said the slow progress only proved the government's lack of commitment to solving the country's tobacco problem.

"The deadline is approaching and yet there are no pictorial health warnings. There is no strong commitment from the government to protect its citizens," Widyastuti said on Friday.

She alleged that the government could have bowed to the demands from the tobacco industry.

Widyastuti called on cigarette makers to make a start on the new packaging to not only meet the deadline but also to support the campaign on the dangers of smoking.

"We are hoping the tobacco industry understands that it has a moral obligation to provide customers information on products that they consume," she said.

It is hoped that the pictorial warning will prevent more Indonesians, especially teenagers and young adults, from becoming addicts.

Government Regulation (PP) No. 109/2012 on tobacco control, issued on Dec. 24, 2012, orders cigarette makers to use at least 40 percent of the packet — both on the front and back — for images showing diseased lungs, mouth, throat or larynx.

Under the regulation, cigarette adverts are banned from the front pages of publications and are not allowed to be next to food and beverage adverts. In addition, tobacco ads may only be aired between 9:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. on television.

Other provisions include a ban on misleading promotional terms, including "Light", "Mild", "Low tar", "Slim", "Special" and "Premium".

Cigarette manufacturers were given an 18-month deadline to comply with the obligation.

Contacted separately, Deputy Health Minister Ali Ghufron Mukti said that the government continued to push and promote the regulation to cigarette makers.

Ghufron said that the ministry was now working with the Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to step up the campaign to boost compliance among cigarette makers.

"This is still a transition period for cigarette makers. But once the deadline passes, we will punish them," said Ghufron.

Punishments would range from administrative sanctions to product recall.

Ghufron also pledged that both the ministry and BPOM would be strict when monitoring the implementation of the new rule.

Indonesian Cigarette Manufacturers Association (GAPPRI) secretary-general Hasan Aoni said cigarette makers would comply with the new regulation.

Hasan, however, acknowledged that it would be difficult for cigarette makers to include pictorial warnings by June, due to a lack of clear guidelines on how to follow the regulation.

There is conflicting information from relevant agencies, including the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), which stated recently that images of cancerous mouths or lungs might be too grotesque for some.

"We want clarification from the government so we can implement the regulation. They have to understand it is not easy to prepare the new packaging," he said.

According to the World Health Organization, Indonesia is among the top three countries worldwide with the highest number of smokers.

The Health Ministry recorded 61.4 million smokers in the country by the end of 2012, with 60 percent of them being male.

Smoking is said to claim 300,000 lives in Indonesia every single year. Enditem