22 July 2026
By Hana Dewi Kinarina Kaban, Editor: Debby H. Mano – Antara
Jakarta (ANTARA) – Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin emphasized that e-cigarettes are not a safer alternative than conventional cigarettes because they have the potential to increase the risk of non-communicable diseases as well as open a gap for narcotics abuse, especially among children and teenagers.
This was conveyed by the Minister of Health when he became a speaker at the National Seminar on the International Anti-Narcotics Day (HANI) 2026 with the theme of “E-cigarette Circulation Management: Dangers, Synergy, Supervision, and Prevention of Narcotics in E-Cigarettes”.
The Minister of Health in Jakarta on Tuesday explained that one of the main mandates of the government in the health sector is to increase people’s life expectancy while prolonging a healthy life.
“Our target is not only to make people live longer, but also live healthier. Therefore, we must control the main risk factors for the cause of the disease, one of which is smoking,” said the Minister of Health.
He reminded that stroke, heart disease, and cancer are still the biggest causes of death in Indonesia. These three diseases have a strong relationship with smoking habits.
The Minister of Health also emphasized that based on existing scientific evidence, e-cigarettes are not safer than conventional cigarettes.
In fact, he continued, a number of countries have banned the circulation of e-cigarettes as a public health protection measure.
In addition to health risks, e-cigarettes are also becoming increasingly concerned because they can be misused as a medium for narcotics consumption.
This condition, according to him, is dangerous, especially because the device is in high demand by the young age group.
To strengthen public protection, the Ministry of Health continues to compile and implement various policies for the control of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.
The policy includes the regulation of addictive substances, restrictions on circulation and sales, advertising regulation, and strengthening provisions regarding product packaging.
On the same occasion, the Head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) of the Republic of Indonesia, Commissioner General of Police Suyudi Ario Seto, said that the abuse of e-cigarettes for the consumption of narcotics is a new threat that must be anticipated together.
According to him, the increasing use of e-cigarettes among teenagers, plus the ease of fluid modification (liquid) with various psychoactive substances, becomes a serious challenge for narcotics prevention efforts in Indonesia.
He emphasized that the supervision of the circulation of e-cigarettes cannot be carried out partially, but requires cross-sectoral collaboration between the government, law enforcement officers, health workers, academics, business actors, and the community.
This news has been aired on Antaranews.com with the title: Minister of Health: Electronic cigarettes are as dangerous as conventional cigarettes