On December 28th, according to a report by Indonesian newspaper KOMPAS, the Ministry of Industry in Indonesia has responded strongly to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) demand that the government should classify e-cigarettes or vaporizers as tobacco products.
The World Health Organization (WHO) previously stated that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that e-cigarettes or vaporizers help smokers quit. Evidence indicates that these products are harmful to health and may potentially lead to nicotine addiction, particularly among non-smokers, especially children and adolescents.
Putu Juli Ardika, the Director General of the Agricultural Industry Department at the Ministry of Industry in Indonesia, has acknowledged the growing trend of e-cigarette use in the country in response to the World Health Organization. However, he has stated that the government is currently studying relevant regulations and intends to incorporate them into the Government Regulation Draft (RPP) for the implementation of the Health Law in 2023. This would involve the management of addictive substances (Health RPP).
In fact, e-cigarettes are currently experiencing a growth phase in Indonesia, with a primary focus on exportation. As for their usage within Indonesia, regulations are still in need of implementation, and this is precisely the issue we are currently discussing in the RPP,” he stated during the end-of-year press conference held in Bali.
According to Putu, these regulations are aimed at protecting the tobacco industry itself. This is because the tobacco industry is interconnected with other sectors, such as the tobacco leaf industry.
