A 2-year-old Indonesian boy who smoked 40 cigarettes a day is receiving treatment to wean him off smoking.
Ardi Rizal started consuming cigarettes when he was 18 months old and images of him smoking have been shown on international television after local media reported on his nicotine habit.
The boy has been under the care of the National Commission on Child Protection since late last month and is receiving psychological therapy, commission chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait said.
“We have managed to reduce cigarettes he smokes from 40 to 20,” he said. “We keep him busy with activities such as learning, playing and going on recreational trips, but it’s very hard to wean tobacco addicts of cigarettes and it takes time.”
Sirait said the commission was also treating two other smoking infants.
“Many smoking parents are unaware of the danger of smoking and they just give children their cigarettes when they ask for them,” he added.
He also blamed the phenomenon on blatant cigarette advertising on television.
SOURCE: TimesLive
Posted on June 6th, 2010 at 10:38 am by Lin McNulty
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