New INNCO Position Paper Outlines Why Bans on Popular Alternatives to Smoking Will Do More Harm Than Good
GENEVE, CH, Mar 16, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - via NewMediaWire -- The International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO), a global association advocating for sensible tobacco harm reduction policies, today introduced a new position paper, "10 Reasons Why Blanket Bans of E-Cigarettes and HTPs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) Are Not Fit for Purpose."Available for download on the organisation's website (https://innco.org/why-bans-in-low-middle-income-countries-dont-work/), the policy report rebukes the "overly simplistic and impractical" bans on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and other tobacco harm reduction (THR) products in LMICs, warning organizations and governments that limiting options to reduce harm will only increase the number of people smoking tobacco, inevitably leading to illicit markets and increases in crime."The hundreds of millions of people who smoke in these countries should have the ability to make decisions about safer nicotine products, particularly when their own health is on the line," said Samrat Chowdhery, president of INNCO's governing board. "Overly simplistic policy solutions, such as proposed bans on a...
Minimum legal age for smoking raised to 21 from Jan 1
SINGAPORE - The minimum legal age for the purchase, use, possession, sale and supply of tobacco products will be raised from the current 20 years to 21 on Jan 1, 2021. This is the third and last change to the minimum age requirement under the amendments to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, which were passed in Parliament in November 2017. The minimum legal age was first raised from 18 to 19 years old on Jan 1, 2019, and from 19 to 20 years old on Jan 1, 2020. On Wednesday (Dec 30), the Ministry of Health (MOH) reminded the public of the changes, and said raising the minimum legal age is part of Singapore's ongoing efforts to reduce smoking prevalence. Other efforts by the ministry, together with the Health Promotion Board and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), include public education, taxation, smoking cessation programmes, bans on tobacco advertising, point-of-sale display ban, and standardised packaging of tobacco products. "Tobacco use is one of the highest contributors to ill health and premature death in Singapore. It is associated with cancers, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, lung disease and many other diseases," it added. The MOH said the tobacco ind...
Licences suspended for eight retailers who sold cigarettes to underage buyers
SINGAPORE - Eight tobacco retailers have had their licences suspended for selling cigarettes to underage buyers between July and September. Caught for selling tobacco products to persons below the age of 20 by the Health Sciences Authority's (HSA) ground surveillance and enforcement team, the outlets will not be allowed to sell tobacco products for six months as it was their first offence. The eight retailers are Sin Tong Hong Eating House, Fresh Foods Supermarket, G& G Gambas, HNH, Happy Grocer Trading, Reshmi Mini Mart, Superluck Food Court and U Stars Supermarket, the authority said on Wednesday (Nov 11). The current minimum legal age to use, possess or buy tobacco products is 20 years old. It will be raised to 21 years old from Jan 1, 2021. "All tobacco retail licensees are reminded to educate their employees on the law pertaining to the sale of tobacco products and for sellers to verify the age of those who wish to buy tobacco products," HSA said. Those caught selling tobacco products to underage buyers can be fined up to $5,000 for the first offence and up to $10,000 for the second or subsequent offence. Their tobacco retail licence will be suspended for six months for the fi...