Activists campaigning against tobacco expressed the urgency to apply the government regulation banning cigarette companies from airing advertisements or sponsoring events.

They said it was about time the country strengthen its alleged “weak” stance against the cigarette industry.

“The country’s regulations [on tobacco] have been weak,” Muhammad Joni from the Lawyer Committee on Tobacco Control, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The government is yet to pass the draft of the governmental regulation stipulating the prohibition of cigarette companies from airing advertisements or displaying logos and dropping names through a sponsorship mechanism or corporate social responsibility activity.

The regulation would also forbid companies from distributing free samples as well as implementing promotional prices on their products.

“The draft is leaning toward a total ban on cigarette advertising and promotion,” Sundoyo from the Health Ministry’s Legal Bureau and Ministerial Organization, said Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.

He added that the draft had already been sent to the Justice and Human Rights Ministry last week to undergo a “harmonizing” process.

Joni said that the regulation had its roots in the 2009 Health Law, which stipulated that tobacco was categorized as an addictive substance, and thus its distribution and usage should be controlled.

Currently, cigarette advertisements are aired on television, as well as displayed on billboards.

The advertisements are permitted as long as they don’t show images of cigarettes or people smoking.

The 2003 governmental regulation, to be replaced, allows airing of cigarette advertisements after 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Cigarette companies often sponsor events such as concerts and sport matches, displaying their logo at the event.

Joni said that the health problems triggered by smoking oversha-dowed the profits from the tobacco industry.

“People living in poverty who suffer from tobacco-related diseases use health schemes such as [community health insurance], which draws its financing from the state budget,” he said.

Joni added that the cigarette industry was harmful to children. “Companies depend on children, who are more vulnerable,” he said.

As of November last year, the state’s income from cigarette tax was Rp 48.44 trillion (US$5.13 billion).

Tulus Abadi from the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI) said that the government had given the cigarette industry dispensation for too long.

“There are no advertisements for alcoholic drinks, so why are there advertisements for cigarettes?” he said.

Tulus said that government had one year to fully apply the regulation.

“However, they should settle this in three or four months,” he said.

Last year, the YLKI estimated that there were about 60 million smokers in Indonesia and 427,000 citizens died from smoking-related diseases.

Joni said that the government should apply bigger duties on cigarettes.

“The government should stop counting the losses [from cigarette promotion bans]. It could be

covered by higher duties and less budget spending on healthcare,” he said. (dis)