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MPs call for more deterrent measures as display of tobacco products is banned

SINGAPORE — As the House passed laws on Monday (March 14) to ban tobacco products from being displayed in shops, Members of Parliament (MPs) — among them, several medical doctors — called for even more to be done to deter people from starting to smoke.

SINGAPORE — As the House passed laws on Monday (March 14) to ban tobacco products from being displayed in shops, Members of Parliament (MPs) — among them, several medical doctors — called for even more to be done to deter people from starting to smoke.

The suggestions include prohibiting tobacco sales to people born after a certain date — or a so-called “Tobacco-Free Generation” policy — raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 and standardising packaging of tobacco products. The latter two ideas are already part of an ongoing public consultation on further tobacco control measures.

Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong GRC) said a “Tobacco-Free Generation” policy would ensure that children and youths “never start smoking in the first place”.

He added: “A tobacco-free generation policy does not disadvantage existing smokers ... Over time, there will be fewer smokers and less harm caused by second-hand smoke,” said Dr Tan.

Dr Chia Shi-Lu (Tanjong Pagar GRC) felt that Singapore’s minimum age to buy cigarettes is “still too young”.

“There is good evidence that such a move would further reduce smoking initiation rates, and there appears to be broad support from the public for such a move,” he said.

The sentiment was shared by MP for Nee Soon GRC Louis Ng who said “research by the World Health Organization shows that people who don’t pick up smoking before the age of 21 are unlikely to ever start smoking”.

In response, Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor said that “a cohort ban would be easy to circumvent”. Enforcement against violations is also going to be challenging and likely to be resource-intensive, she added.

“Enforcing such a cohort ban can be very challenging as age differences between close cohorts become less apparent physically as they grow into adults,” she said.

Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC) suggested the authorities take up a pilot initiative in her ward and expand it islandwide. Smokers can only light up at designated smoking points in Nee Soon South since January 2014. The aim is to minimise the exposure of non-smokers to second-hand smoke.

Dr Khor said the impact of the initiative needs to be better understood before her ministry can commit to any expansion of the programme.

The MPs who rose to speak also noted beyond harsher measures to deter smoking, soft approaches are also needed to encourage smokers to quit.

Dr Lee said there is a need to “create an environment that is more supporting and encouraging for potential quitters”.

She added: “(The Blue Ribbon Ambassadors in my constituency) not only encourage smokers to smoke in the designated smoking points, (they) also advise them on how to quit smoking.”

Reflecting on his own personal experience kicking the habit in 2013, Mr Ng said “‘cold turkey’ was the best way”. He added: “It was worth it and I feel healthier now, my family members benefit and are healthier as well and I save loads of money.”

Besides the ban on the point-of-sale display of tobacco products, changes to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act passed on Monday included curbs on the display of price lists of tobacco products. The Ministry of Health will make sure that only the brand, price, barcode and stock number of such products are printed in text form on white A4-size paper. No pictures or logos can be shown. 

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