Indonesia gears up for new regulations

Cigarette companies in Indonesia are preparing for the implementation of new regulations that restrict tobacco advertisements and require the inclusion of graphic warnings on cigarette packs, according to a story in The Jakarta Post.

The tobacco control regulations were issued by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in December 2012 and are set to take effect in June 2014.

Under the regulations, tobacco advertisements cannot be included on the front pages of publications and are not allowed to be located next to food and beverage advertisements. And while tobacco advertisements may be shown on television; they may be aired only between 21.30 and 05.00.

Forty per cent of cigarette packs will have to be given over to text and graphic warnings about the dangers of smoking.
And cigarette manufacturers will be banned from using ‘misleading’ promotional terms, including ‘light’, ‘mild’, ‘low tar, ‘slim’, ‘special’ and ‘premium’.

Sampoerna’s regulatory affairs head, Elvira Lianita, was quoted as saying that her company had no problem in complying with the regulations.

She said the regulations comprised a step towards addressing many of the understandable public health concerns regarding the sale and marketing of tobacco in the country.