JAKARTA Indonesia raised the minimum age limit for purchasing cigarettes to 21 from 18 as part of a series of changes to health regulations intended to curb the deadly habit in a country with one of the world's highest smoking rates.

A country of 270 million people, Indonesia is one of the world's top producers of tobacco and there are about 70 million adult smokers there, The World Health Organization said in a 2021 survey.

In a government regulation signed by President Joko Widodo last week, Indonesia raised the minimum age for people wanting to buy cigarettes to 21 and banned the sale of a single cigarette, a cheap alternative common in local street stores.

The regulation is intended to "lower prevalence of smokers and prevent early-age smokers," says the regulation. Among the provisions is banning the sale of cigarettes within 200 metres from schools and playgrounds.

The regulation took effect immediately.

Indonesia's health ministry said in a 2023 survey that 7.4% of smokers out of 70 million smokers in the country are between the ages of 10 to 18, with 15-19 being the age group with the most amount of smokers.

The new regulation also bans conventional and electronic cigarette sales on "commercial electronic applications" and social media sites. Advertising cigarettes on social media is also banned. Penalties for violations range from a written reprimand to a temporary ban on advertising cigarettes.

The new provisions on advertising will come into force in two years.

Anti-smoking advocates say some of the new regulations are not enough to curb smoking.

Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, a tobacco control advocate, said some provisions are good, such as those that regulate electronic cigarettes, but the government must issue a technical implementation regulation to ensure monitoring and enforcement.

Manik Marganamahendra, a youth tobacco control advocate, also said enforcing the minimum age limit has to be more stringent, with ID verification, for instance.

Cheap and widespread, Indonesia has also tried to curb smoking by raising excise rates on tobacco products for almost every year in the past few years, including by 10% this year.

  - Reuters