Recently, discussions on smoke-free areas (Kawasan Tanpa Rokok/KTR) have resurfaced, following the implementation of Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024 as a derivative of Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health. One of its clauses mandates that local governments establish and implement smoke-free areas in seven designated settings or specific areas, including workplaces and public spaces.

The Ministry of Health once targeted that by 2023 all regions would have local regulations on smoke-free areas. However, as of June 2025, referring to data from the Directorate General of Regional Autonomy of the Ministry of Home Affairs, 28 regencies/cities still had no regulations at all related to smoke-free areas.

Developing smoke-free areas is indeed not as simple as turning one’s palm. This idea actually emerged in the early 2000s and was strengthened with the enactment of Law No. 36/2009 on Health. This was followed by Government Regulation No. 19/2003 on Safeguarding Cigarettes for Health, which was later revised by Government Regulation No. 109/2012 on the Safeguarding of Addictive Substances in the Form of Tobacco Products for Health.

The Ministry of Home Affairs together with the Ministry of Health even issued Joint Regulation No. 7 of 2011 on Guidelines for the Implementation of Smoke-Free Areas. The main objective of the changes from 2012 to 2024 is to reduce tobacco product consumption, especially among children and adolescents, and to strengthen public health protection from the harmful effects of exposure to cigarette smoke.

Based on Government Regulation No. 28/2024, local regulations related to smoke-free areas must be adjusted so that their provisions are not weaker than the general stipulations in the regulation. If they are weaker, the local regulations must be revised or replaced. If local regulations have not yet been formulated, regional heads are allowed to first issue head-of-region regulations.

In practice, the strategic role held by local governments has not been carried out optimally. Discussions on smoke-free area provisions in several regions have revealed various problems. In Jakarta, several groups representing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) once demanded that the Regional Regulation Formation Body of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) and the executive delay the discussion of the draft smoke-free area regulation.

Although the main objective of the draft regulation to protect public health is understandable, the clause prohibiting cigarette sales within a certain radius of schools and children’s playgrounds has triggered economic concerns that directly burden MSME traders.

A similar situation occurred in Cirebon Regency, where hotel and restaurant entrepreneurs worried about the risk of declining income and business activity if the smoke-free area policy were enacted. Such dynamics further clarify the classic tension between health and economic issues related to the tobacco products industry.

In terms of health issues, Indonesia ranks among the highest in both the percentage and number of active smokers. Referring to data from the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey, the number of active smokers in Indonesia reached 70 million people.

The Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, in mid-2025 once highlighted smoking prevalence in Indonesia, noting that 73% of adult men are active smokers and around 7.4% of children aged 10–18 years are smokers. Referring to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in 2024 the average consumption of smokers in Indonesia reached 86.45 cigarettes per week or around 13 cigarettes per day. The number of electronic cigarette users is also on an upward trend.

From an economic perspective, data from the Ministry of Agriculture show that tobacco excise revenue reached Rp 213.48 trillion in 2023. In that year, exports of tobacco leaves, excluding processed cigarettes, reached Rp 3.28 trillion. Meanwhile, in 2024, the Deputy Minister of Industry, Faisol Riza, stated that tobacco excise revenue reached Rp 216.9 trillion. Exports of the tobacco products industry reached US$ 1.85 billion. Overall, employment absorption in the tobacco products industry sector reached nearly 6 million workers.

Another unavoidable reality is that this industry is hit by tighter regulations on open marketing, high excise tariffs, and the rampant circulation of illegal cigarettes. The volume of official cigarette production continues to decline; from 321.6 billion sticks in 2020, to 323.9 billion sticks in 2022, and down again to only around 318.14 billion sticks in 2023. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), cigarette production from January to July 2025 was the lowest in the last eight years, except for 2023.

The dynamics of smoke-free area regulation once again raise the issue of policy incoherence, where there is a lack of continuity in policies or a lack of integration among various institutions or misalignment across sectors. Each remains fragmented, sheltered within its own vision and mandate. This is compounded by uneven local government capacity, which has not been equally distributed in formulating derivative policies that align with local contexts.

Amid the decline in fiscal transfers to regions, the risk of reduced economic activity that also affects declining local own-source revenue (PAD) poses a serious threat to local governments.

It is true that Law No. 17 of 2023 provides sound regulations, such as prohibiting the retail sale of cigarettes to individuals under the age of 21 and to pregnant women. There are also several prohibitions in Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024, such as bans on sales near public areas, including educational institutions and children’s playgrounds within a 200-meter radius, as well as bans on advertising on social media and restrictions on broadcast media. All these regulations aim to reduce smoking prevalence, prevent new smokers, and reduce morbidity and mortality due to smoking.

However, field-level problems arise because flexibility and local context are often overlooked. Good intentions and well-formulated policies should also consider secondary impacts, intended consequences, and especially unintended consequences.

It is important to control smoking for health reasons, but it is equally important to ensure that sectors driving the livelihoods of the people do not come to a halt. To avoid the impression that policies are made and implemented hastily, socialization must be intensified from an early stage, including to invite involvement and participation from other stakeholders, especially non-state actors.

The pursuit of regulatory deadlines should not negate the principle of meaningful participation, which provides space for the public to understand the process and the fate of their aspirations. Supervision and enforcement of provisions must be carried out in a humane, consistent, and sustainable manner.

Age factors, educational and social backgrounds, as well as cultural aspects must be taken into consideration, as they can play a significant role. What is ultimately needed is compliance, awareness, and changes in social behavior.

Without awareness of these fundamental principles, the chain of policy incoherence will not be broken, rendering policies merely sources of commotion without delivering real public benefit.

Dr. Sidik Pramono, S.T., M.A.
Lecturer in Public Administration, FIA UI.

Source: https://investor.id/investory/420991/kawasan-tanpa-rokok-dan-inkoherensi-kebijakan