Indonesia’s electronic cigarette ban not set in stone

Indonesia seems to be having second thoughts on imposing an outright ban on electronic cigarettes – but then again, perhaps not.

A story in The Jakarta Post at the beginning of last week had the Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel saying that sales of electronic cigarettes would be banned in line with concerns voiced by the Health Ministry.

Then, at the end of last week, the Health Ministry secretary-general Untung Suseno Sutarjo was quoted by another Post story as saying that the consumption of electronic cigarettes could help to reduce tobacco consumption though it would not eradicate it.

But he then went on to say that while electronic cigarettes would help to reduced consumption, the ministry had found that “that the impact on health is the same”.

Meanwhile, the health ministry’s head of health promotion, Lily S. Sulistyowati, said the implementation of the regulation would be discussed with the trade ministry. “We will discuss the regulation, Lily said. “The health ministry understands the impact of e-cigarettes, but the product is still permitted to be sold at the moment.”