Easier to tackle smuggling if cigarettes were banned

I refer to the letter, “Banning cigarettes would only encourage smuggling” (June 29). Fear of hard work is no justification for inaction. Our system should be motivated by what is right and how to manage the consequences, if any, and not to let the wrongs continue.

Banning drugs also has consequences such as smuggling; that does not mean drugs should not be banned here. Tax increases, which lead to higher cigarette prices, also worsen the smuggling problem.

In fact, it would be easier if cigarettes are banned totally. Few people would dare to smuggle them, as Singaporeans would be aware that any cigarette spotted would have been smuggled illegally.

Perhaps the writer thinks cigarettes are not as bad as drugs. My advice is to visit the National Cancer Centre to see how a lung-cancer patient who did not smoke, but had inhaled passive smoke, suffers during chemotherapy.

Banning cigarettes would protect the health of non-smokers, especially children. It would also force those sitting on the fence to quit smoking.

Air is shared by both smokers and non-smokers. Let us give people such as lung-cancer patients a fair chance to breathe clean air, which helps new cells to grow during and after chemotherapy, and to live, making the efforts of healthcare workers worthwhile.