Singapore’s ongoing attempts to permanently stub out the smoking habit among its citizens trudges on — the minimum legal age for sale of cigarettes will soon be raised from 18 to 21.
Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor revealed the revised age restrictions in Parliament earlier today, stating that the change will be phased in over the next couple of years.
Citing research that nearly half of smokers in Singapore become hooked on tobacco between the ages of 18 to 20, the minister noted that public consultation also found “considerable support” for raising the minimum legal age for smoking.
Other nations with a minimum smoking age of 21 include the likes of Uganda, Honduras, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, and some states in the United States.
“(We) see significant value in moving in this direction, so as to reduce the appeal of tobacco products, particularly to youths, and raise the visibility and effectiveness of health warnings,” Dr Khor stated, as quoted by Channel NewsAsia.
Aside from upping the legal age, the ministry is also conducting further studies on standardised packaging on tobacco products, referencing methods carried out in Australia, France and the United Kingdom.
For the Singapore government, they mean business in the path towards totally outlawing smoking in the city-state. Over the past couple of years, the Ministry of Health has enforced changes such as prohibiting e-cigarettes, shisha, nicotine patches and chewing tobacco, as well as banning cigarette displays in shops starting this August.
