Singapore
Singapore’s Ministry of Health has announced plans to ban existing and emerging tobacco products in two phases as a “pre-emptive measure to protect public health against the known and potential harms of such products”.
“Besides protecting the public from the health risks associated with the consumption of emerging tobacco products, the ban is aimed at ensuring that the targeted emerging tobacco products do not gain a foothold or become entrenched in the Singapore market,” the Ministry said.
In addition to preventing these products from “stimulating demand for and thereby increasing the prevalence of tobacco consumption”, it will also prevent such products from becoming “gateway” or “starter” products for non-smokers, it added.
In a statement released on June 15, the ministry said that under the first phase, tobacco products that are currently not available in Singapore will be banned with effect from December 15, 2015.
The second phase will cover a ban on products already available in the market and will take effect from August 1, 2016. The delay in the ban is to allow for businesses to “adjust their operating models and deplete their existing stocks of such products”.
Products banned in first stage:
- Smokeless cigars, smokeless cigarillos or smokeless cigarettes;
- Dissolvable tobacco or nicotine;
- Any project containing nicotine or tobacco that may be used topically for application, by implant or injected into any parts of the body; and
- Any solution or substance, of which tobacco or nicotine is a constituent ie intended to be used with an electronic nicotine delivery system or vaporiser (or what is commonly referred to as an e-cigarette).
Second stage ban includes Nasal snuff; Oral snuff; and Raw, chewable tobacco products