Artikel LKSI

CIGARETTES VS HEALTH, POVERTY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Presented By. Wilfun Afnan, SSos

When we hear the word of cigarettes, which emerged our minds as the layman is a chopped tobacco that has been processed and blended with a variety of addictive substances (based on the results of scientific research there are 4000 kinds of harmful substances in it) to be inhaled its smoke and the smell of tobacco concoction. Based on the classification of the tobacco industry, various kinds of forms, ranging from cigarettes, filter, cigars, and so forth. So is the type of cigarette itself, there is the so-called slim, mild, premium, and so forth.

Indonesia is the fifth largest country, whose citizens consume cigarettes in 2004 (U.S. Department of Agriculture. World's Leading Un-manufactured Tobacco producing, trading and consuming Countries, 2004). With ranked-5 (five) of the world, Indonesia is one of the potential market for the tobacco industry, and no wonder that in Indonesia there are more than 3000 cigarette factories both local and national scale, this number is registered in the Ministry of Industry, That amount have not included yet with a traditional industry that not listed. In fact, many foreign investors come into Indonesia by investing his business in the tobacco industry, because Indonesia is one country that has market potential is high enough without being limited by social status. Phenomenon or trend of the smoker’s community in Indonesia has become the "pampered" by the state, where Indonesia is the only country that has not ratified the FCTC and does not have comprehensive regulations to control the circulation and production of tobacco for the cigarette industry except for a regulation on cigarette excise tax.

Lately, the issue of advertising, circulation and production of cigarettes in Indonesia led to state the pros and cons of the tobacco issue, one side anti-smoking activists urged the government seeks to issue regulations on tobacco to protect non-smokers because people can be fatal to human health and the global environment due to the negative effects of cigarette smoke with a variety of scientific argument and as a form of citizen concern over the impact of the dangers of smoking, particularly to protect children from negative effects of cigarette smoke. On the other hand, the tobacco industry and the government tries to find middle ground by arguing to protect the larger national interests of the growth and development of the tobacco industry start from businessmen, labor in the tobacco industry to tobacco farmers.

Various arguments about the impact of tobacco this issue that irked my interest to do "overlay" of the various aspects that surround our lives, both in terms of individual and social human beings. Once in this paper is part of the recognition that my own self as a human individual and social is a part of the community of smokers, but in this paper will be objective in providing the paradigm of thinking about the issue of cigarettes.

Tobacco vs. Health

Community smokers basically are aware that tobacco smoking is one potential source of disease and interfere with personal health and the environment. This is reasonable if cigarette is one source of potential human disease, because cigarettes contain 4000 kinds of harmful substances to human body, one that we often hear and we read on packs of cigarettes is TAR. TAR is a substance used to mix asphalt road. Not only the TAR that is often heard by us, from 4000 kinds of substances contained in one cigarette was also there are some substances that we often hear such as nicotine (pesticide residue), ammonia (floor cleaner content), carbon monoxide (poisonous gas), formaldehyde (preservative corpse), arsenic (rat poison), cadmium (battery powder), and others.

With those dangerous content, smoking is not only dangerous for those who inhale it but also for people who do not accidentally inhale smoke (passive smokers) of cigarettes smoked by the smoker, and that will be even more harmful effects to passive smokers than the smokers themselves. This is caused by the indirect passive smokers inhale the smoke that is the waste of smoke from the smoke of the smoker, even more so if that suck the smoke is in fact children who are vulnerable to all forms of the disease upon themselves and their bodies.

Based on the results of the National Health Survey Mortality Study in 2001 mentioned that in Indonesia, smoking increases the risk of chronic disease mortality becomes 1.30 to 8.17 times greater. On the other hand, in 2005 the Indonesian health costs incurred due to tobacco-related illnesses reach 18.1 billion USD or 5.1 times the state revenues from tobacco excise tax in the same year (Kosen, S. 2007, Indonesia Report Card).

Various kinds of diseases that haunt the smoker, both active and passive smokers are very terrible. It can be observed with a variety of potential diseases such as various types of cancer, lung disease, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, potential blindness, impaired reproduction and fertility, and so forth makes cigarettes is one of harmful legal products for whom consume them.

Tobacco and Poverty

Manufacture of cigarettes and smoking behavior in the community in socio-economic aspects can not be separated from the perspective of poverty. In the aspect of production, many factors or elements involved in these aspects include factory owners (investors), employees / workers, tobacco farmers to the seller of cigarettes on the edge of the road. It can be observed in the year 2008, the production and the distribution of cigarettes in Indonesia are 250 billion cigarettes (source: Global Tobacco Control Report, 2008).

Based on the facts and data above if we the calculated a layman, from 250 billion cigarettes in Indonesia, the potential for the circulation of money just for the consumption of cigarettes amounting to Rp. 125 Trillion (assuming one (1) cigarettes for 500 rupiah), compared with the State Budget in 2010 is budgeted for the health sector is only ± Rp. 18 Trillion, also the field of social assistance which is only ± Rp. 64.2 Trillion, as well as the budget for the field of social protection which is only ± Rp. 3.4 Trillion. This means the potential impoverishment of the people of Indonesia widely open, how not! State budget to increase the quality of society, both socially, economically and health was defeated by the circulation of cigarettes that are traded in Indonesia without any regulatory protection for its citizens.

On the other hand, based on the results author’s observation of scavenger community on the outskirts of Jakarta, 10 (ten) persons, 4 of them children about 15 years old who was invited to talk at the coffee shop are a smoker and they spend an average of 6-12 cigarettes / day, if it’s counted in rupiah a day, they spend money 6 thousand - 9 thousand rupiah per day, while their revenue per day between 15 thousand - 20 thousand rupiah / day. It means from their total revenue, 40-45% they use to consume cigarettes. This causes the family basic needs are often overlooked, we imagine the money 6 thousand - 9 thousand rupiah really means a lot to them for daily survival. Due to their already addicted and addiction of cigarettes and they are very difficult to quit smoking and were intrigued by the suggestion with cigarette advertising that spreads without limit, eventually they sacrifice the quality of life for themselves and their families. Often they are trapped between the consumption of cigarettes with their basic needs when dealing with the amount of revenue.

So also when the author invited to chat with several major tobacco industry workers in the area of East Java in mid 2009 and then, find the fact that 40-50% of their income spent on consumption of cigarettes. That in fact their every day wrestle with the smell of tobacco and cigarettes. Even more surprising is when I holiday Ied in 2009, found the workers / tobacco farmers who complained about the price of tobacco is often mocked by the middlemen and the tobacco industry, so that the tobacco which they became excellent products and their hopes for the prosperity of his family did not materialize because the price of tobacco determine is the cigarette industry and the absence of government price regulation is clear and unequivocal. This is compounded by the fact that Indonesia is one of countries that still imports tobacco. In 2006, Indonesia imported tobacco with a value of USD 47.2 million. This means higher than the export value of Indonesian tobacco sector (Source: Ministry of Agriculture).

Back on the relevance of tobacco and poverty, based on descriptions and arguments that have been described previously and based on the fact that there are cigarette addicts is largely due to poor economic oppressed, they attempt to eliminate stress and depression over the economy and the impact of suggestion from addictive substances of the legal product is called cigarette. Thus, smoking behavior becomes part requirements imposed and to defeat the basic human necessities of life ie food, clothing and shelter. Any potential utilization of the poor indirectly exploited by the tobacco industry with promotions and advertising utilization exceptional image indefinitely in building pride, relaxation, and ability to achieve the hopes and dreams of someone like enjoy aja, loe ga rame Ga. There, A real man, creative, toughness, and so forth. This leads to poor communities, especially children from poor families and try to imagine what they see, they listen and they think smoking is one part of the lifestyle of the city and part of the designation of identity without thinking ability and social self.

And in the end forced to cut the income of poor families in the consumption of cigarettes a day can spend 6-12 cigarettes / day can be resolved because tobacco products can be purchased in bars so that access to victims of tobacco product dependence for very large communities especially the poor.

Tobacco and Human Rights

We must recognize that the industries that produce tobacco products are legal products that also perform its obligation to pay taxes to the state, the tobacco industry also participated in building and developing the workforce in Indonesia. The cigarette industry also buy tobacco produced by the farmers as the main raw material for tobacco products in addition to hazardous chemical substances that become part of the raw material for cigarette production. So the tobacco industry is part of life depend upon the land for the people involved in the process of cigarette product itself.

On the other hand, the tobacco industry was directly and indirectly participate to create the sources of disease that afflicts humans as part of the impact of cigarette smoke without limitation human beings, from children to adults, from women and men. The cigarette industry is also one of the legal industries that create hazardous products for human growth and development, both individually and socially human. So the tobacco industry is part of the industry (corporate capital) who participated violate basic human rights to live healthy and breathe clean air, indirectly participate forcibly seizing the rights of human life resulting from exposure to cigarette smoke.

By looking at these two aspects of the tobacco industry on the one hand it is part of the legal industry for the State, on the other hand industries producing tobacco products is extremely harmful to human survival because they contain chemicals harmful to human body when started the cigarette smoke either directly or indirectly. Unfortunately, Indonesia is a country that has no regulation in the regulation of circulation and smoking restrictions to protect its citizens from the effects of cigarette smoke. There is only about excise arrangements for the reception of the State of cigarette products. It's different when the Indonesian government to create regulations concerning restrictions on the circulation of high alcoholic beverages (drinks are intoxicating) h, which the government responded quickly with the issuance of Presidential Decree Number 3 Year 1997 concerning SUPERVISION AND CONTROL alcoholic beverages. Basic reason of the decree was that "alcoholic beverages may cause harm to human health and the disruption of order and tranquility of society, so that the necessary supervision and control of production, distribution, and sales" (Read in part considering). Yet tobacco products also contain elements of harm to human health in it, but the Government is not dare to issue a Regulation on the supervision and control of tobacco products in Indonesia.

The reason used by the Government and on the fight from tobacco industry, that tobacco industry is a absorb much labor and involves many parts of the community in the production process should not be a justification. And for that reason, can actually refuted. See pages myths and facts about tobacco in http://www.surabaya-ehealth.org/dkksurabaya/berita/9-mitos-dan-fakta-tentang-tembakau, besides it is the fact that the Presidential Decree on the supervision and the Alcoholic Beverage Control issued by the government was run effectively and do not affect the conditions and employment situations and elements involved in the production process of these alcoholic beverages.

Solutions

Therefore there are some things that actually could be a middle way the pros and cons about whether or not issued regulations on the supervision and control of tobacco products in Indonesia which is already much discussed in the writings on the topic of tobacco as an ingredient of government input in the formulation of regulations on supervision and control of tobacco products, among others:

The government need to issue a regulation banning for total advertising and promotion of cigarettes, because advertising and promotion of cigarettes from the tobacco industry is a publication that does not educate and misleading to the public. On the other hand the lack of advertising and promotion of tobacco products will not affect the sale of tobacco product itself, because cigarettes are addictive objects that have a high sense of dependence on those who consume it;
The existence of government regulation in outlawing the sale of cigarettes in retail (bars) but do sales with a system pack, this is to avoid the affordability of the poor and children in cigarette consumption;
The government raised cigarette taxes every year so that any cigarette prices can not be reached by the children and the poor. On the other hand state revenue from tobacco excise duty will rise. It also will not actually reduce the revenues from the tobacco industry, because the cigarette tax is charged to the consumer;
Restricted area / smoking area and not smoking, especially in enclosed public places, in order to create neatness among the smokers with non-smokers;
Tightening expenses establishment permit cigarette industry in Indonesia for the number of cigarettes and cigarette distribution in Indonesia can be monitored;
Showing a picture or describe the information about the dangers of smoking on cigarette packs, this as part of a form of responsibility on the tobacco industry products;

That are the way of bridging the cigarette product circulation in society, because with the regulaton covering the above matters, on one side of the tobacco industry can still produce, on other hand of protection of the Government for its citizen on the dangers of the impact of cigarette smoke itself, especially in children and poor communities and communities of non-smokers. So the government is not doing omission of the rights of health and healthy living of its citizens from the dangers of cigarette smoke

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