Toddler From Sumatra Smokes 40 Cigarettes Daily

A two-year-old boy from the island of Sumatra is making news as the youngest known human being to be addicted to smoking cigarettes. Ardi Rizal was given his first cigarette by his father when he was only 18 months of age, and has been hooked ever since and now smokes up to 40 a day.

This is a rediculous situation and is causing outrage on the island and even from antismoking groups in the United States. “It’s clear the parents of this baby don’t understand the risk smoking poses to their child,” said Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in Washington, D.C. The boy’s father feels that there is nothing wrong with his son smoking 40 a day. “He looks pretty healthy to me,” he said. “I don’t see the problem.”

Ardi’s mother realizes that there is something wrong, but says that her son throws temper tantrums if he does not get cigarettes. “He’s totally addicted,” she says. “If he doesn’t get cigarettes, he gets angry and screams and batters his head against the wall. He tells me he feels dizzy and sick.”

Health officials on the island also realize the dangers that are present here, and have tried everything to get the family to make Ardi quit, including offering the family a brand new car. “A law to protect children and passive smokers should be introduced immediately in this country,” said the head of Indonesia’s child protection commission.

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