President Joko Widodo of Indonesia signed new legislation setting the minimum age for buying tobacco to 21 years from 18 years as was set in 2020, a year before which the purchase of tobacco in Indonesia was unconditional without any required age of majority of the buyer and smoking was allowed unconditionally to toddlers.
At the same time in the same country where cigarettes before 2020 could also be sold to the underaged, the law now bans the sale of tobacco within 200 meters of schools and playgrounds, prohibiting the sale of individual out-of-pack cigarettes that was common in local newspaper shops and small local shops.
Online sales of tobacco without verification of the buyer’s age by a user and online sales of tobacco via social networks without age verification of buyers were also banned.
It follows more than a decade ago a lawsuit against the Indonesian government filed in 2010 by the Children’s Protection Commission accusing it of tolerating underage smoking and addicting young people, especially children to nicotine.
In summary, this year’s update of legislation on the tobacco market in Indonesia includes:
- Raising the age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21.
- Prohibition of buying and selling individual cigarettes.
- Ban on the sale of tobacco in a perimeter of 200 meters from schools and playgrounds.
- Ban on online tobacco sales including through social media networks without age verification of users and buyers.
Bring Back Smoking Freedom 