Used To Be Heavy Smokers Up To 8 Packs/Day, Governor Edy Now Supports Regional Regulations For Non-Smoking Areas

North Sumatra Governor (Gubsu) Edy Rahmayadi/DOK Instagram Edy_rahmayadi

The Governor of North Sumatra, Edy Rahmayadi, supports the establishment of a Regional Regulation on Non-Smoking Areas (KTR) so that people who do not smoke feel comfortable and can reduce active smokers.

Gubsu Edy said that what is more important in reducing smokers and protecting the public from becoming passive smokers is implementation in the field.

"This is a bad habit, so it's not enough just with the regional regulation, and of course we can't get rid of 100 percent of smokers, but at least we can save children. We can provide an uncomfortable smoking room, a big fine for smokers who violate or other means," said Governor Edy, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, May 26.

The former Pangdam I Bukit Barisan asked all OPDs within the North Sumatra Provincial Government to implement Non-Smoking Areas in their respective offices as the first step.

"This will also be implemented in schools through a ban on smoking in schools, including for teachers. It is impossible for you to prohibit students from smoking in front of them yourself," he said.

Governor Edy said that he used to be a heavy smoker. But Edy Rahmayadi decided to quit smoking in 2025

"I am one of the people who used to be a heavy smoker, even in the past I was able to finish eight packs of cigarettes per day. But Alhamdulillah, after considering health and at the encouragement of my family as well, I finally completely stopped smoking in 2005," he said via his Instagram account.

Therefore, Governor Edy supports the establishment of Regional Regulations (Perda) for Non-Smoking Areas. Gubsu Edy emphasized that smoking not only threatens the health of people who are actively smoking, but also for people who are negatively affected by cigarette smoke even though they do not smoke or are referred to as passive smokers.

"I hope that this regional regulation can protect the public from the dangers of cigarette smoke, especially for infants and children, pregnant women and the elderly. That's why cigarettes must be prohibited in certain areas such as schools, public transportation, playgrounds, office areas, hospitals and so on. Hopefully this regional regulation can be realized immediately to protect the health of our society," he said.

The Director of Regional Legal Products at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Makmur Marbun, said that there are eight regencies/cities in North Sumatra that there are no Regional Regulations or Regulations to Regions (Perkada) regarding Non-Smoking Areas.

Makmur Marbun said the areas included the districts of Karo, Labuhanbatu, South Labuhanbatu, Nias, West Nias, Simalungun, Gunungsitoli City and Tanjungbalai.

"There are still eight more regions that do not have a KTR regulation in North Sumatra, there is still a regional regulation that is still difficult, let alone not available, that's why we are starting to move from the regional regulation," said Makmur.

Meanwhile, Director of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (P2PTM), Eva Susanti, said there was an increase in the smoking behavior of beginners. From 7.20 percent in 2013 it increased to 10.7 percent in 2019 and is predicted to increase to 16 percent in 2030.

"The prevalence of adult smokers also continues to increase, around 70.2 million or 34.5 percent of Indonesian adults smoke while for e-cigarettes it has increased 10 times from 2011 to 2021," Eva said.

Eva explained that based on BPS data in 2021, it showed that second-ranked cigarettes per capita expenditure per urban community. 19.69 percent for rice and 11.3 percent for filter kretek cigarettes. While in rural areas 23.79 percent for rice followed by cigarettes 10.78 percent

"This problem is even more complicated, because not a few people are actually less able to allocate their money for cigarettes instead of protein or additional nutrition," he said.