To be honest, I’ve never heard of Kelly Clarkson, not surprising because I’m not into music so much. However, the decision to cancel the sponsorship tie with a tobacco company for her concert in Indonesia (albeit after being condemned and plea by fans in her FB page) caught my attention. Although latest research indicates the behavior of artistes are not as influential as advertisement by tobacco companies in getting young people to smoke (I’m still trying to find the article), I still believe it will go a long way in setting a good example.

Artistes cannot plead ignorance (same as parents, tax payers and politicians!). Her excuse:

”I think the hardest part of situations like this is getting personally attacked for something I was completely unaware of and being used as some kind of political pawn,” she wrote.

Don’t just think of bottom line profit la!

The impact of unhindered tobacco advertisement in Indonesia (one of the last holdouts that has not signed the World Health Organization’s tobacco treaty):

As smoking has declined in many Western countries, it has risen in Indonesia – about 63 percent of all men light up and one-third of the overall population smokes, an increase of 26 percent since 1995.

Smoking-related illnesses kill at least 200,000 annually in a nation of 235 million.

… About a quarter of Indonesian boys aged 13 to 15 are already hooked on cigarettes that sell for about $1 a pack or as little as a few cents apiece, according to WHO. A video on YouTube last month prompted outrage when a 4-year-old Indonesian boy was shown blowing smoke rings and flicking a cigarette. His parents say he’s been smoking up to a pack a day since he was 2. [what were the parents doing???]

… According to a 2008 study on tobacco revenue in Indonesia, smokers spend more than 10 percent of their household income on cigarettes; that’s three times more than they spend on education-related expenses such as school fees and books.

Indonesia remains one of the last places in the world where cigarette TV commercials still run, featuring rugged men and beautiful women smoking. Billboards plastered above four-lane highways encourage motorists stuck in Jakarta’s notorious traffic jams to “Go Ahead” or “Become a Man” or let Marlboro Lights “Style Your Party.”

Leggy women in short skirts and strappy heels promote cigarettes at events, sometimes even giving out discounted or free samples to “taste.”

Indonesia’s tobacco industry employs millions in the world’s fifth-largest cigarette-producing market. About 6 percent of the government’s revenue comes from cigarette taxes, and a powerful tobacco lobby has blocked past regulation attempts, including a move to ban TV ads.

Indonesian cigarettes are cheap by regional standards, with taxes less than 40 percent.

Tobacco farmers have held massive street protests to denounce any push for higher taxes or tighter restrictions.

“Kretek cigarettes are Indonesia’s heritage just like cigars in Cuba,” ” said Nurtantio Wisnu Brata, chair of the Central Java chapter of the Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association.

Any move to limit tobacco promotion and use in the country will require strong political will. But critics point out that even Indonesia’s smoke-happy neighbors China and Vietnam have signed the WHO’s tobacco treaty and imposed stronger controls.

“The level of advertising in Indonesia is unmatched anywhere else in Asia,” said Mary Assunta, senior policy adviser for the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. “The Marlboro Man has ridden into the sunset in many countries, but not in Indonesia.”

But there is still hope:

In recent months, anti-tobacco forces have rallied. A new health law has declared smoking addictive and urged the government to hammer out tobacco regulations. An anti-smoking coalition is pushing for tighter restrictions on smoking in public places, advertising bans and bigger health warnings on cigarette packages.

Public debate also exploded last month after Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, issued a fatwa banning smoking. Though not legally binding, the religious ruling does put pressure on smokers in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Now, contrast that with situation in Japan:

Japan’s smoking rate has fallen to a record low amid rising health awareness and tighter regulations.

WOW! The huge billboard in front of Yokohama Park across the intersections must have cost a bomb. It depicts a picture of a little girl beside a smouldering cigarette held in a man’s hand. The caption reads: “For the health of others, do stop smoking while walking.”

When my son was a toddler, his hair was nearly singed and my hand almost burnt by the cigarettes of smokers jostling in crowded places. Inhaling the secondary smoke made us cough, too.

My husband had smoked for nearly three decades. When he started working after graduating from university, his mother had encouraged him to smoke for the sake of socialising, only to regret later because the house reeked of tobacco smoke and the wallpapers got stained.

My father was a chain-smoker until he quit at the age of 50. Much as I loathe smoking, I overlooked this flaw in Koji when I married him.

Soon-to-be smoke-free: Japan has now banned smoking in public areas while some areas have introduced an ordinance banning smoking in the streets.

After Ken was born, Koji was confined to his study room (which I nicknamed “nicotine room”) whenever he needed a smoke. When we went on outings, he sneaked off with his portable ashtray, for a puff.

When we shifted into our present apartment, he lost his “nicotine room”. So he puffed away on the balcony.

Even during winter, he would brave the cold outside to have his cigarette before breakfast. Frustrated, I told him that he should emulate my father’s determination to kick the habit.

“I’ll quit when I reach 50,” Koji replied casually.

A week before his 50th birthday, when we reminded him of his “promise,” he retorted: “I think you said your father quit at 55.”

During that week, Ken and I checked his pockets. Good. He didn’t bring back any cigarette or filter. For the first two weeks, he kept his craving at bay with chewing gums. As an incentive for him to persevere, I rewarded him with a dinner treat and an expensive pair of shoes.

Now Koji detests the smell of tobacco smoke. His brother, brother-in-law and niece had also quit smoking.

Japan has been dubbed a major smoking nation, but its smoking rate has been decreasing since a decade ago.

Last year, a 31-year-old man and his three-year-old daughter filed a lawsuit against Tokyo’s Kita Ward government for failing to take preventive measures against passive smoking in the park, and demanded ¥100,000 (RM3,463) as compensation for the sore eyes and sore throat that they suffered. Follow ing that, the authorities removed all public ashtrays in 20 children’s parks.

Since its nationwide launch on July 1, 2008, smokers need to show their “Taspo” (tobacco passport) card to purchase cigarettes from convenience stores or vending machines. This smart card is issued to those 20 and above, to prevent minors from smoking.

Yet, underaged smokers have been illegally using the card. Two years ago in Fukuoka, a woman (a non-smoker) became the first person to be prosecuted for obtaining a Tas po card for her underaged son to buy cigarettes from a vending machine. Her action was tantamount to giving cigarettes to a minor.

It was not an April Fool’s joke when Japan’s first anti-smoking ordinance took effect in Kanagawa Prefecture, banning smoking in schools, hospitals, government offices and other public places. A ¥2,000 (RM69) fine is imposed for smoking in prohibited public buildings, while managers of such facilities face a ¥20,000 (RM690) fine.

The penalty would also apply to restaurants and hotels from April next year.

Many people welcome this move, though smokers, business operators and the tobacco industry will be affected.

Restaurants, mahjong and pachinko parlours with a floor space of over 100sqm and hotels of over 700sqm must either become non-smoking or create designated smoking areas. Operators of smaller business facilities are required to ensure a smoke-free environment and are not subjected to the penalty yet.

Notwithstanding the smoking and non-smoking sections in major restaurant chains, non-smokers are still exposed to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Neverthe less, major restaurant chains like McDonald’s Co (Japan) Ltd and Yoshinoya Co had prohibited smoking at their Kanagawa outlets, even before the enforcement.

The ban on smoking at swimming beaches (except for designated areas) is expected to be implemented next month. No penalty has been set for offenders but hopefully, the ban would reduce littering and prevent health hazards caused by secondary smoking.

From October, the price of cigarettes is likely to increase by ¥100 (RM3.45) a pack, to offset the market’s falling sales.

With the smoke-free environment campaigns, Tobacco Inc will launch non-flammable, odourless cigarettes next month, initially in Tokyo. Costing ¥300 (RM10.40) and classified as sniffing tobacco, Zero Style Mint comes with a tobacco pipe, mouthpiece and two cartridges. A pack of four refill cartridges costs ¥400 (RM13.80). The 8cm cigarette-like device can last half a day or the whole day, and its nicotine content is one-twentieth that of a regular cigarette.

With such stringent actions, Japan’s smoking rate is expected to drop further.

Well, we can take a leaf or two out of Japan’s success story so far. Strict rules, better enforcement, coming out with products that are less harmful, and so on. We are also slowly moving away from tobacco planting to other crops.

I will also like to propose that all smokers must be forced to take up additional insurance policy to cater for their indulgence. I don’t want government money being wasted on some smoker who needs treatment due to his addiction.  Secondly, such smokers should also ensure their families are well protected (financially) in the event of the their untimely demise or incapacitation, the family won’t be having financial difficulties.