Alright teenagers, time to stub out those butts. A new anti-smoking Bill tabled in Parliament will raise the legal age for smoking from 18 to 21, among other tough measures aimed at reducing youth smoking.

Officially titled the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale ) Amendment Bill, it was tabled by Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong during the Oct. 2 session of Parliament and will be debated at a later date.

In an explanatory statement attached to the Bill, MOH said that these measures were intended:

"To reduce, with a view to ultimately eliminating, the opportunities for the young to be tempted and take up smoking before attaining 21 years of age."

New changes proposed

So what can you expect when if the Bill is passed by Parliament?

• The minimum legal age for smoking will be raised from 18 to 21.
• Possession of e-cigarettes will be illegal.
• Licensed retailers of tobacco products can sell their goods only at a single point of sale within their establishment.
• Online transactions of tobacco products for underage smokers will also be prohibited.

In Singapore, nearly half of all smokers begin to smoke regularly between the ages of 18 and 21. Also, the average age at which people start to smoke has also gone down, from 17 in 2001 to 16 in 2013. The Bill seems like an attempt to nip the habit in the bud.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="245"] Gif from Tumblr.[/caption]

[related_story]

Previous tough measures

The proposed measures are the latest in a line of recent anti-smoking laws implemented by the government.

In June 2015, MOH announced a ban on "smokeless" tobacco products such as dissolvable tobacco or injectable nicotine. In Aug. 2016, shisha products were banned after a two-year grace period. And in Aug. 2017, the ban on point-of-sale display of tobacco products kicked in after a one-year grace period.

These measures proposed in the latest Bill were first brought up by Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor in March 2017, during the Committee of Supply debate. At the time, she said:

"MOH will take further steps to reduce, if not eliminate the opportunities for our young to be tempted and take up smoking before 21. We will propose legislative changes to Parliament within a year to raise the Minimum Legal Age for sale of tobacco products to minors, from 18 to 21 years. The change will be phased over a few years."

Following the implementation of these measures, tourists should be warned not to vape or bring their e-cigarettes with them while visiting Singapore. As for the full-time National servicemen, the fabled Yellow Box will soon be a thing of the past.

Related story:

Ministry of Health will raise minimum age for sale of tobacco products to 21

Here are some totally unrelated but equally interesting stories:

Apparently, there’s a headless ghost that will deliver booze to you this Halloween

5 times Singaporeans ownself scared ownself with hoaxes

I let a 20-year-old Tarot card reader inside my mind and it was nothing like I expected

Top image from Pixabay.