Jakarta, Aug 23 (Antara) - Facing opposition from various quarters as
it looks to accede to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(FWCTC), the government has asked cigarette companies to put gruesome
pictures on cigarette packets to discourage smokers.
Indonesia has been launching anti-smoking campaigns with written
warnings on cigarette packets but it seems it is not effective enough.
According to reports in Kompasiana publication on May 4, 2014, Indonesia
has the third largest number of smokers in the world with cigarette
consumption at about 305 billion pieces in 2012.
Ideally, the government would like to accede to the FWCTC which aims to
reduce the number of smokers and protect the present and future
generations against health damage. Yet, that move is opposed by many
quarters, including tobacco farmers and the sections of the industry.
Therefore, it is now doing its best to discourage smokers. Beginning
June 24, 2014, cigarette packets will carry pictorial warnings with
gruesome images of people suffering from different tobacco-related
diseases such as oral, gangrene, mouth, neck and lung cancers.
The pictorial warning on cigarette packets will be effective in
reducing the number of smokers and preventing young people from taking
up the habit, Health Minister, Nafsiah Mboi, believed.
"Based on the experience (of other countries), a (pictorial) warning is
effective because written warnings alone are not enough," Nafsiah Mboi
said after opening the Global Meeting on Infectious Disease here,
Wednesday (August 20, 2014).
Besides the pictorial warnings, cigarette taxes should also be
increased, which would lead to an increase in cigarette prices. This
would also help in reducing the number of smokers. If warnings with
gruesome images are not effective, then high prices of cigarettes are
expected to achieve the goal.
"In
Indonesia, the price of cigarettes is Rp13,000 per 20 pieces of
cigarettes and that is very cheap. Abroad, it can reach Rp100,000," the
minister said while quoting an example.
These efforts should, of course, be coupled with comprehensive
publicity on the dangers of smoking so that the number of smokers could
significantly be reduced, she said.
For
this purpose, the minister expressed hope that the people would also
monitor the cigarette factories to ensure they followed these
regulations.
"I hope the people will also take more responsibility to monitor them.
This has been done so that tobacco companies follow regulations,"
remarked the minister.
Regarding the implementation of the pictorial warning, the minister
said earlier that her office would evaluate it. They will see how
effective the impact has been after two months of its implementation.
"We will see later," Nafsiah told reporters at her office, Monday.
She admitted to have heard that there had been a decline in the number
of smokers since the launch of the pictorial warning, but she was
unaware of the exact number.
"I do not know, we did not monitor the number of smokers in this regard," she noted.
The
minister hoped that all sides would support the anti-smoking campaigns.
"I should not tackle it all. Regional governments should also do it.
There is a Government Regulation (PP) which stipulates the matter, where
regional governments are also required to handle it," the health
minister stated.
According to the minister, the pictorial warning is a follow-up of the
written warning on cigarette packets on the dangers of smoking.
The government has issued a Government Regulation No. 109/2012 and
Health Minister Regulation (Permenkes) No. 28/2013 that oblige the cigarette
industry to display a health advisory with five different kinds of scary
pictures.
Initially,
the government planned to put some 20 kinds of pictures on cigarette
packs. Then a survey was conducted by health experts on what pictures
which had the effect and could discourage people from smoking.
"We have put written warnings both on cigarette packets and on
billboards for years, but unfortunately, Indonesians remain the world
biggest smokers, even though we know that smoking is injurious to
health. I do not know whether this attempt will bring positive and
better results," noted Nafsiah.
Therefore, she promised to conduct an evaluation on the effects of the policy.
The
government's anti-smoking campaign in delivering the message of the
dangers of smoking had been effective and was giving smokers some
anxious moments, a smoker in Gorontalo province of Sulawesi said.
"I feel terrorized by the picture, to the extent that the cigarette I
smoke tastes different. It is not as good as it was," Yudin Mamonto
(31), said here, Wednesday.
The gruesome pictures of damaged lungs and organs as after-effects of
smoking are so horrifying that every time he wants to smoke, he pictures
such diseases infecting his body, Mamonto noted.
Due to the gruesome pictures, he had to switch from his favorite
cigarette brand to other brands which do not display such pictures.
"On a positive note, I used to smoke one and a half two to three
packets a day, but now I only smoke one and a half packets. I believe
the government's campaign has been quite effective," he said.
Another smoker, Farid Dihuma, said he was quite shocked and stressed
after seeing the picture of blackened lungs on the cigarette packets.
"The other pictures are not scary, but the picture of blackened lungs
shocked me. Even after several days, the picture remains etched in
memory," Farid said.
Farid used to smoke one and a half packets a day, but now he only consumes one packet.
"To avoid the pictures, I and my friends are looking for cigarette
brands at small kiosks that have not yet posted such gruesome pictures,"
he added.
In North Sumatra, residents of Rantauprapat of Labuhanbatu District in
particular, said they have reduced their desires to smoke after seeing
the appalling pictures.
"It is scary to see the pictures. It creates fear in the mind towards
smoking," claimed Ajis (41), a resident of Lingkungan Binaraga hamlet,
Cendana Village, Rantau Utara Sub-District, Rantauprapat, on Friday.
He used to smoke one and a half packs of filter cigarettes, now he has
reduced it to one packet after seeing the pictures, he said.
"When I want to take a piece of cigarette from its packet, I avoid looking at the pictures," Ajis said.
Something similar was expressed by ML Harahap (38) of Kartini Village
in Rantau Sub-District. He was disinclined to smoke after seeing the
dreadful pictorial warning, he said.
If he bought a packet, he would take the cigarettes out and put them in
a cigarette can. "Here we have cigarettes in cans. When we buy
cigarettes with gruesome pictures on their packets, we put them in
cans," he said.***3***
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EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 23-08-2014 18:49:4 |
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