Indonesia Tiny Village Leads The Non-Smoking Movement

A small village in Indonesia, called Bone-Bone, is spearheading the movement on minimizing tobacco use. The village is one of just a few in the country that has banned smoking and selling tobacco completely.

The ban first started in 2000 when the village first enforced a law of the elimination of selling tobacco products. Then in 2003, local authorities prohibited smoking in public, while making a full ban in 2006. 

Though many countries in underdeveloped countries have also made minimal efforts, Indonesia is still the country progressing the least in its region to implement methods to cut tobacco use. According to CTV News, the country is the only one in Southeast Asia that has yet to ban tobacco ads on TVs and the only one in the Asia Pacific region to have not ratified a UN treaty on tobacco control though it has a high percentage of child smokers and high death toll because of tobacco related issues. 

As one enters the 800-people village, they will come upon a sign that reads, "Thank you for not smoking, say no to cigarettes," while another says, "Please enjoy the scenery and fresh air in our village.

When asked about the reason, the village head, Muhammed Idris, didn't state that it was because of health, but it was for economic reasons.   

Idris shared that many families couldn't send their children to school because fathers had been using crucial funds on cigarettes. 

"I went to college with 13 other students from this village, only six graduated, the rest dropped out because they spent their tuition money on cigarettes," Idris told AFP.

Another villager, Amir, also admitted how much the ban saves money. Though he had smoked about 14 times each day, he admitted that he can now save money due to the restricted use. 

"I can save money, I can buy what my family needs and -- most importantly -- I can pay for my children's education," said Amir.

About 10 Indonesian villages have also followed Bone-Bone and created a ban on smoking.