Tobacco.org

• Airports not for tobacco ban 

CHANGI Airport has put its weight behind a global airports group opposing a World Health Organisation (WHO) proposal to ban the sale of duty-free tobacco products on airport premises.

The Airports Council International (ACI), which groups 1,679 airports worldwide, including Changi, maintains that this move will hurt airport earnings, as well as penalise the travelling public.

The issue surfaced at the group's annual meeting recently, in response to suggestions made by the WHO that such a ban would stem the illegal trade in tobacco products.

Member airports agree that they will not stand for such a ban and will work with their respective governments to protect the interests of passengers and the rights of airports and retailers.

This was one of several resolutions approved at the end of the ACI's two-day gathering in Kuala Lumpur last week.

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HPB's anti-smoking campaign targets young women  

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) has launched a new initiative which it hopes will arrest the rising trend of young women picking up smoking in Singapore.

A 2007 national survey found that nearly 10 per cent of female respondents aged between 18 and 29 smoked daily, up from 4 per cent in 2001. The most common reasons cited by these women include stress relief and relaxation.

HPB's latest anti-smoking initiative aims to show that with prolonged smoking, a person's appearance will suffer from sunken cheeks and premature ageing.

The authority claims that the use of graphic images in its campaign to deter women from smoking is not meant to be a "scare tactic".

JoAnn Taylor, deputy director of Substance Abuse Department, HPB, said: "It's really appealing to women's essential needs. It's about looking good for their partner, for their friends or even for themselves. So it really appeals to women's idea of beauty." . . .

Fresh Air for Women Programme's ambassador, Vanessa Fernandez, spoke on Wednesday about the benefits she experienced when she quit the habit four months ago, after smoking for 14 years.

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Puffing kills good looks 

LADIES, think twice before you take a puff of that cigarette - smoking can add up to 20 years to your appearance in the form of freckles, crow's feet and deepened lines and wrinkles.

That is a warning the Health Promotion Board (HPB) hopes will resonate with beauty-conscious women, to deter them from picking up the habit and to encourage those who are already smoking to quit.

Yesterday, it launched its latest anti-smoking initiative - a faux cosmetic brand called ASH, that promises to give you "looks to die for" - at a roadshow in VivoCity.

Designed to look like an actual line of cosmetic products, ASH consists of a lipstick, foundation, loose powder, eyeshadow and nail polish - all made of real cigarette ash to further drive home the point.

At its beauty counter, promoters talk to "customers" about the effects of smoking on beauty.

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Kelantan govt may not promote staff who smoke 

KOTA BARU: The PAS government is studying the possibility of penalising state government servants by not promoting them if they are smokers.

State Women's Development, Family and Health committee chairman Wan Ubaidah Omar said the government was serious in getting the masses to quit smoking.

"The federal and state governments have done a lot to discourage people from smoking and it may be time to take punitive measures," said Wan Ubaidah during the State Legislative Assembly meeting in Kota Darul Naim yesterday.

Wan Ubaidah (PAS-Kijang) said this in response to a supplementary question from Abdul Fattah Harun (PAS-Bukit Tuku) who suggested penalising civil servants in line with the proposal by Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat that PAS leaders who smoked not be given a chance to contest in any general election.

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Singapore Health Promotion Board receives support for proposed amendments to Smoking Act 

The Singapore Health Promotion Board (HPB), in partnership with Health Science Authority (HSA), conducted a public consultation exercise, from 3 - 28 August 2009, on proposed amendments to the Smoking (Control of Advertisements and Sale of Tobacco) Act and other smoking control measures.

The public consultation exercise on the proposed changes to the Smoking (Control of Advertisements and Sale of Tobacco) Act received 171 responses. Respondents included individuals, tobacco manufacturers, importers and retailers, healthcare professionals and majority were in support of the proposed changes, with many providing suggestions to enhance smoking control measures.

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Majority support stricter controls proposed under Smoking Act  

The Health Promotion Board has received 171 responses from the public on proposed amendments to the Smoking (Control of Advertisements and Sale of Tobacco) Act.

Among them - 131 were from individuals, 12 from the tobacco industry, with the rest comprising healthcare professionals and community organisations.

The proposed amendments include banning tobacco sponsorship, lowering the maximum levels on tar and nicotine limits, and banning misleading labelling on cigarettes.

The health minister may also be given more powers to prohibit harmful tobacco products.

The majority of respondents supported the changes, with 87 per cent supporting the control of alternative forms of tobacco products.

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The leading players in Singapore tobacco market include Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco Plc and Japan Tobacco Inc 

This databook provides key data and information on the tobacco market in Singapore. This report is a comprehensive resource for market, category and segment level data including value, volume, distribution share and company & brand share. This report also provides expenditure and consumption data for the historic and forecast periods.

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Cigarette smuggler nabbed 

A 35-YEAR-OLD Malaysian driver was arrested on Saturday at the Tuas checkpoint for attempting to smuggle more than $200,000 worth of contraband cigarettes into Singapore.

The man initially claimed to be transporting some 36 drums of adhesive glue when Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers stopped his vehicle for routine checks.

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• They started smoking at 11 

THEY were caught for littering and fined $300 each last month. Their offence: Throwing away cigarette butts after smoking.

What's shocking is their age: They were only 12.

Underage habitual smokers Rina and Candy (not their real names) picked up the habit last year - when they were 11.

The friends started out of curiosity but soon got hooked. When they were caught, they were smoking at least a cigarette a day.

Their parents only found out when National Parks Board (NParks) rangers caught the girls three weeks ago in Ang Mo Kio.

Smoking by anyone below 18 is an offence, but NParks did not take action as underage smoking falls under the purview of the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). . . .

from 20 per cent in 1984 to 13 per cent in 2004, it has gone up again in the last three years to 14 per cent.

This has prompted the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to consider stiffer penalties and other amendments to tobacco regulations.

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Dog foils cigarette smuggling attempt 

During a joint operation conducted by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Police K-9 Unit, a police dog named "Car" foiled a smuggler's attempt to conceal duty-unpaid cigarettes in car door panels.

This is the first case that a sniff dog had detected illegal cigarettes at the checkpoints.

On August 4 at the Woodlands Checkpoint, officers stopped a Singapore-registered vehicle for checks. Noticing that the driver appeared nervous, the officer proceeded to conduct a dog search on the vehicle.

During the search, "Car" pointed out a few areas of the vehicle such as the car door panels, back seat and the spare tyre compartment. True enough, a total of 1,305 packets of illegal cigarettes were found in the areas which the police dog had shown positive indication during sniffing.

The Singaporean driver was arrested. The vehicle and contraband cigarettes were also seized. Investigations revealed that the man had been hired by syndicates to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes using vehicles.

The man would be paid $500 if the cigarettes were successfully smuggled.

For his involvement with dealing and conveying duty-unpaid goods, which were offences under the Customs and GST Acts, the Singaporean man was sentenced by the court on 5 August to six months' jail.

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• More deceptive smugglers 

SMUGGLERS are adapting their methods to elude the border authorities. From hiding contraband in broken-down buses being towed across the Causeway to concealing cigarette cartons within concrete slabs, smugglers these days are a different breed from those of old who simply stowed the stash in makeshift vehicle compartments, for example.

The observation on their modus operandi came as officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) thwarted a record number of smuggling attempts in the first half of this year.

The 23,800 smuggling cases - which included weapons, cigarettes and animals - were the highest number handled by the officers since the ICA was set up in 2003. The figure also represented a 35 per cent spike from the 17,700 cases the ICA detected in the first six months last year.

The ICA credited the spike to the skill and vigilance of its officers, and the deployment of technology like its X-ray screening systems in detecting the contraband items.

In releasing the figures on Friday, ICA Commissioner Eric Tan, said: 'While these ingenious disguises usually involve contraband cigarettes today, we are mindful that other more sinister persons or items may similarly attempt to get into the Republic.' The ICA noted how smugglers have become more 'deceptive'.

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Wanted: Your views on smoking laws 

MISLEADING cigarette labels such as "light", "mild" and "low tar" may soon be history as Singapore seeks to curb the rising number of young adults who smoke.

Going by the most recent statistics available, the three years between 2004 and 2007 have seen a roughly 40 per cent increase in the numbers of smokers aged 18 to 29, according to the Health Promotion Board (HPB).

Within that age group, one in four men smoked in 2007, up from around 18 per cent in 2004; among women, 9 per cent smoked in 2007, versus almost 7 per cent in 2004.

Studies have shown "light" cigarettes to be as harmful and addictive as ordinary ones.

The HPB is inviting public feedback on the proposed banning of the "light" label and other smoking legislation.

These include cracking down on tobacco retailers who blatantly sell to underage youths.

Their licences would be instantly revoked if they sell to underage youth in uniform or anyone who is clearly 12 or younger.

Tobacco sponsorship of arts-related events - the sole avenue for tobacco firms to advertise here - may also be banned, while fines levied on underage smokers might be upped.

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LETTER: Make anti-smoking messages part of kids' school curriculum 

I AM writing in response to the report, 'Wanted: Your views on smoking laws' (my paper, Aug 3).

While I applaud the authorities for coming up with proposals to curb smoking, I feel that more could be done.

If the maximum limits on tar and nicotine in cigarettes are lowered, this might encourage people to smoke, as cigarettes could be seen as less harmful. . . . more needs to be done in schools to discourage smoking among students.

Perhaps the Ministry of Education could start educating children from a young age about the dangers of smoking.

Getting the message to them early would definitely go a long way towards discouraging them from picking up smoking.

Implementing the proposals would not stop smokers from lighting up.

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Wanted: Your views on smoking laws 

MISLEADING cigarette labels such as "light", "mild" and "low tar" may soon be history as Singapore seeks to curb the rising number of young adults who smoke.

Going by the most recent statistics available, the three years between 2004 and 2007 have seen a roughly 40 per cent increase in the numbers of smokers aged 18 to 29, according to the Health Promotion Board (HPB).

Within that age group, one in four men smoked in 2007, up from around 18 per cent in 2004; among women, 9 per cent smoked in 2007, versus almost 7 per cent in 2004.

Studies have shown "light" cigarettes to be as harmful and addictive as ordinary ones.

The HPB is inviting public feedback on the proposed banning of the "light" label and other smoking legislation.

These include cracking down on tobacco retailers who blatantly sell to underage youths.

Their licences would be instantly revoked

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• Curbing younger smokers 

THE screws against smoking - particularly among the younger set - are to be tightened further.

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the Health Sciences Authority have drawn up proposed measures to discourage smoking and tobacco addiction among them.

These range from heavier fines for underage smoking and giving the Health Minister the clout to ban the sale of certain tobacco products, to barring some places from selling them, as well as lowering permitted tar and nicotine levels.

Four weeks have been set aside for public consultation, beginning today.

The trigger for these stricter regulations lies in statistics: The number of smokers aged between 18 and 29 jumped 40 per cent in three years from 2004; significantly, one in four males in this age bracket now smoke.

Nationally, smokers made up 13.6 per cent of the population in 2007, up from 12.6 per cent in 2004. More than 65 retailers were caught for selling to customers under 18 last year . . .

The public can give its feedback on the proposals at www.hpb.gov.sg or www.moh.gov.sg by Aug 28.

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