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Doctors and health groups have urged the government to put a stricter regulation against electronic cigarettes in the proposed omnibus bill on health amid growing numbers of users, particularly among young people. Roughly 10 years after e-cigarettes or vapes were first introduced to the Indonesian market, their sale and distribution remain largely unregulated. Indonesia is the only country in the Southeast Asia region that does not implement a specific regulation on the distribution and marketing of e-cigarettes, in marked contrast to Singapore, Cambodia, Brunei and Thailand, which have imposed a complete ban on the products.

The results of a new study point to the serious health dangers posed by e-cigarettes or vapes. That led to the Federal Health Minister announcing new rules that will ban recreational vaping, non-pharmaceutical vape imports and tighter restrictions on the taste and packaging of products. The new regulations would still have to be approved by Parliament before taking effect into law, and the federal government would need help from state and federal counterparts to implement the changes.

Meanwhile, e-cigarette users, or vape is increasing.
In Indonesia the number of users has increased 10-fold in the past decade. [...]

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry has warned the public that e-cigarettes or vaping can pose serious threats to the younger generation.

"Vaping is a serious threat to young people in Indonesia. The e-cigarette is not safe for children because it has nicotine and flavorings in the form of aerosols that have seven thousand negative effects," director of prevention and control of non-communicable diseases at the ministry Eva Susanti said here on Wednesday.

During a webinar on “Kolak Ketan 2023,” she explained that e-cigarettes are the same as conventional cigarettes, with equal dangers.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is contemplating on prohibiting electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) if found to be harmful to public health, according to Vice President Ma'ruf Amin.

"We will consider (the prohibition of e-cigarettes), but in principle, everything that is dangerous will be prohibited by the government," Amin stated at the University of Indonesia here, Thursday.

The vice president promised that thorough assessment of the effects of e-cigarettes on public health will be conducted before the government takes its decision.

Smoking electronic cigarettes, or vaping, can cause a decline in oral and dental health, a dental health practitioner, Drg Amalia Rahmaniar Indrati, cautioned.

"Nowadays, e-cigarettes, or vaping, has become a lifestyle, but bear in mind that vaping can have an impact on health," Indrati said here on Tuesday.

Indrati, a dental health practitioner at the Banjarnegara Islamic Hospital, said some research indicated that smoking electronic cigarettes had negative impacts on lung, dental, and oral health.

According to the dentist, oral disorders caused by smoking e-cigarettes, or vaping, may include gum infections, dry mouth, cavities, and yellow teeth.

Juul Labs Inc is halting sales in Indonesia, citing concerns that it can’t stop retailers from selling its high-nicotine e-cigarettes to young people in a largely unregulated tobacco market. Juul said in a statement that it would suspend Indonesia sales “indefinitely” until it could ensure that online and traditional retailers there will “increase and enforce age restrictions and compliance measures.” The firm’s decision to retreat from the world’s fourth most populous nation - which has not been previously reported - marks a major setback for Juul’s larger plans to expand in Asia. [...]

Muhammadiyah has declared electronic cigarettes and vaping as haram in a fatwa issued recently by the second biggest Muslim organisation in the country.

The organisation’s central executive board's tarjih (lawmaking) and tadjid (reform) council outlined the fatwa in a decree on e-cigarettes issued on Jan. 14 in Yogyakarta.

Wawan Gunawan Abdul Wahid, a member of the council's fatwa and guidance development division, said the fatwa was issued to underline Muhammadiyah’s stance against all kinds of cigarettes.

One of the main factors contributing to Indonesia having some of the highest smoking rates in the world is the relatively low cost of cigarettes, which keep them within the reach of even the country’s poorest citizens. The government has shown little political will to raise cigarette excise prices to decrease demand, but the results of a new survey indicates that it’s something that the vast majority of Indonesians actually want.

Indonesia will impose an excise tax of 57 percent on tobacco essences used for electronic cigarettes starting July 1 as part of efforts to curb consumption of tobacco products, a senior official said late on Monday.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy imposes excise duty on all kinds of tobacco products but the country has one of the highest smoking rates in the world.