By Mouhamad Bigwanto, University of Muhammadiyah Prof Dr Hamka
JAKARTA, Oct 1 — Indonesia “let the genie out of the bottle” six years ago when it legalised e-cigarettes, also known as vapes.
They were declared legal by the Ministry of Finance after being subjected to excise taxes in 2018. Those taxes are projected to reach approximately 1.75 trillion rupiah (US$115.4 million), with the tax on excise duties (local tax) estimated at around 175 billion rupiah (US$11.5 million).
But at what cost? E-cigarette use among Indonesian adolescents aged 10-18 has become a big concern, with rates doubling in just five years.
That raises health concerns for a generation of young Indonesians.
It is known that vapes pose health risks, with reported negative effects on cardiovascular health. The long-term impacts remain unknown as these devices are a relatively recent phenomenon.
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report, at least 34 countries have banned e-cigarettes, while 87 countries have implemented a range of legislative initiatives (partially or completely) to regulate these products.
In ASEAN, five out of ten countries have banned e-cigarettes. Indonesia is among the countries that does not ban these products. Although there were plans to ban them before the 2018 decision.
The promotion of e-cigarettes as a tool to help smokers kick the habit seems to be primarily a marketing strategy by the industry.
E-cigarettes are increasingly used by adolescents in some European countries, with a similar situation occurring in other high-income countries.
In the United Kingdom, often cited by e-cigarette supporters to promote their products due to its more lenient regulations, the number of young adults who have never smoked but use e-cigarettes has increased.
It is difficult to ensure that these products are consumed exclusively by adult smokers, even for countries that have the capacity to monitor the use of the products.
Regulating e-cigarettes would require enhancing the capacity and budget of health authorities for regulation formulation, monitoring, and enforcement—something not all countries can afford.
Imposing higher taxes, as Indonesia has done, could benefit state revenue and strengthen the capacity to enforce regulations. However, the question remains—how high the taxes for e-cigarette can go?
In the case of cigarettes, the tax system in Indonesia is still considered inadequate to reduce consumption, largely due to strong lobbying by the tobacco industry.
For ASEAN countries, most of which are developing nations, implementing a ban is undoubtedly the more practical option. A ban would allow governments to integrate enforcement efforts with those already in place to combat other illegal products.
The extensive variety of e-cigarette products, with constantly evolving characteristics, poses greater challenges for countries that opt to regulate rather than ban them.
One key factor is the continuous development of flavour varieties, which significantly increase the appeal of e-cigarettes. Fruity flavours, in particular, are especially popular among younger people, many of whom are not established smokers.
Then, there is the risk of misinformation.
Since their introduction, e-cigarettes have been surrounded by misleading claims, especially about health risks.
Legalising them would strengthen the industry’s ability to defend their business and spread misinformation.
For example, one mainstream online media outlet in Indonesia misquoted a WHO researcher, implying that e-cigarettes pose lower risks.
This was later cited by one of the active civil servants at BRIN who was also a leading supporter of e-cigarettes from AKVINDO during a public hearing with the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM).
WHO took no action to correct this misinformation with the media, and the article remains accessible to readers to this day.
Smoking rates in Indonesia remain high, and tobacco control regulations are far from ideal, with widespread unregulated promotion.
The decision to regulate e-cigarettes adds another significant challenge.
By law, these products will now be treated the same as tobacco products.
However, since the “genie is already out of the bottle,” strong efforts can be made to control their presence — something that would have been much easier had the product been banned from the start.
Banning e-cigarette might not 100 per cent solve the problem, but it is easier to implement. Concerns about a black market are valid, but considering weak capacity and regulation on tobacco control, making vapes illegal should be easier for authorities to police.
Switching to e-cigarettes is not the same as quitting.
The purpose of giving up smoking is to stop nicotine addiction, which is rarely achieved with e-cigarettes because they can also contain nicotine. Indeed, vaping has been shown to potentially lead to smoking behaviour.
The potential benefits of e-cigarettes for adult smokers, if any, do not outweigh the harm they pose to the younger generation.
Mouhamad Bigwanto is a researcher and public health advocate at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Muhammadiyah Prof Dr Hamka.
Article courtesy of 360info.