WHO Officially Declares a Comprehensive Ban on E-Cigarettes

According to a report from REPUBLIKA.CO.ID on January 9th, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially announced a comprehensive ban on the use of e-cigarettes, highlighting the significant health risks they pose to humans.

Professor Agus Dwi Susanto, Chairman of the Indonesian Pulmonology Association, declared that Indonesia has become the leading country in e-cigarette consumption and called for urgent action to address this grave situation. He revealed that 25% of the Indonesian population has used e-cigarettes, primarily targeting adolescents, making Indonesia the largest consumer of e-cigarettes globally, which is a distressing fact. He also mentioned that the Health Law of 2023 has detailed regulations on the management of e-cigarettes, including the specific excise tax specified in Article 149 of Chapter 17.

However, despite the regulations in place, the use of e-cigarettes in Indonesia is on a rapid rise, especially among 18 to 20-year-old teenagers, with a 10-fold increase in the past two years. Surveys reveal that 25% of the population has experimented with e-cigarettes, and the advertising campaigns for these products primarily target young people.

Professor Agus emphasized the survey findings, stating, "Among the participants involved in the survey, 2.9 times more individuals have reported having tried using e-cigarettes." He urged the government and society to jointly strive and implement urgent measures to curb the spread of e-cigarettes in order to safeguard the health and future of the Indonesian people.