JAKARTA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Health Ministry is drafting regulations requiring standardized packaging for cigarettes and e-cigarettes as part of efforts to reduce smoking among children and teenagers, officials said on Friday.
The proposed rules would introduce plain packaging, requiring tobacco and vaping products to use uniform packaging designs while still allowing brand names and fonts in accordance with existing regulations, said Andi Saguni, the ministry's acting director general of disease control.
Saguni said cigarette packaging has long been used as a marketing tool to attract young consumers. Studies in several countries have shown that plain packaging can reduce product appeal, strengthen the impact of health warnings and help prevent smoking initiation among minors.
Graphic health warnings will remain mandatory under the proposed rules, the ministry said.
The regulation is being prepared under the implementation framework of Indonesia's 2024 Health Law and would provide a transition period of up to 12 months for companies to comply.
Similar plain packaging policies have been adopted in countries including Australia, Britain, France, Singapore and Thailand. ■
