This Child Quit Smoking, but Indonesia May Still Become the World’s Largest Tobacco Market

　　Many people have probably seen the following photos of a child smoking:

　　And many assume it was staged as a joke or for publicity.

　　But it was real. This Indonesian boy, Aldi Suganda Rizal, became addicted to smoking at the age of 2 and smoked 40 cigarettes a day...

　　Judging by his posture, he even looked surprisingly experienced.

　　Everyone knows that smoking is bad for health, especially for someone as young as Aldi Suganda Rizal. So after more than two years of treatment, he finally quit smoking.

　　In fact, child smoking is not uncommon in Indonesia. No matter where you go there, you can see people smoking.

　　This is no coincidence. With the tacit acceptance of the Indonesian government, the global tobacco industry has used advertising, marketing, and clove- and chocolate-flavored products to turn Indonesia into a nation addicted to smoking and one of the world’s most valuable tobacco markets.

　　The end result is an imminent public health disaster. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Indonesia has the highest male smoking rate in the world at 67%, while the female smoking rate is also rising rapidly. The impact is enormous. WHO statistics show that about 425,000 Indonesians die from smoking every year, accounting for nearly a quarter of all deaths in the country annually.

　　Over the past few decades, smoking rates have steadily declined in many countries. So how can Indonesia reduce smoking rates and avoid the health harms caused by tobacco?

　　1. Ban advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. Indonesia places virtually no restrictions on tobacco advertising, while neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and Singapore all impose limits, and their smoking rates are all lower than Indonesia’s.

　　2. Raise tobacco taxes. In Indonesia, cigarettes are very cheap. Tobacco tax there is far below the global level, at only 46% of the retail price, compared with 70% in Thailand and 72% in Singapore.

　　3. Pass tobacco control legislation.

　　4. Quit smoking with e-cigarettes. As a relatively effective alternative to tobacco, using e-cigarettes to quit smoking has been proven effective for some people. In particular, they do not produce secondhand smoke.

　　At present, Indonesia remains an important source of revenue for the global tobacco industry. It is the world’s fifth-largest tobacco market, producing 340 billion cigarettes in 2014, and that figure is expected to continue growing. If this trend continues, Indonesia will become the country with the largest number of smokers in the world.