PSA: From 1 Jan 2021, Smoking Age Limit Will be 21 Years Old

In 2021, Covid-19 vaccines and A&W at Jurong Point won’t be the only new thing appearing in Singapore.

Here’s another rule that you might’ve forgotten about for the past year: The raising of the legal smoking age limit to 21 years old.

Here’s a PSA if you’ve forgotten all about it.

PSA: From 1 Jan 2021, Smoking Age Limit Will be 21 Years Old

Back in 2017, there’s an amendment to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Bill.

The ultimate goal is to set the minimum legal age for the purchase, use, possession, sale and supply of tobacco products to be 21.

However, instead of making the change overnight *coughs*pmd*coughs*, the law will be changed progressively, so that it’ll minimise the impact on smokers who were then between the ages of 18 and 21.

After all, imagine a smoker who was 19 in 2017 knowing that the minimum age has been changed to 21 the next day. That’d be hell for him or her she.

Quitting Is A Journey

According to Parliamentary Secretary for Health Amrin Amin, “Quitting is a journey and it will take time for smokers to successfully quit. The phased implementation recognises this.”

Therefore, the change would come in three years:

• From 1 January 2019, the age limit will be 19
• From 1 January 2020, the age limit will be 20
• From 1 January 2021, the age limit will be 21

It was added that the younger someone started smoking, the higher the chance for that person to become a regular smoker.

It was also found that smokers who started smoking earlier find it harder to quit later in life.

It’s also interesting to note that almost 95% of Singaporeans tried smoking their first puff before they turn 21 years old.

Other Measures

The Singapore authorities did more than just adjust the smoking age limit to try and grow a healthier Singapore.

They have also designated Orchard Road as a non-smoking zone.

Members o the public are only allowed to smoke at designated yellow boxes along Singapore’s iconic shopping strip.

Also, if you’re a smoker, you’ll realise it’s easier to get the wrong cigarettes when you buy them in Singapore.

In 2020, all cigarettes are packed in standardised boxes.

Known as the SP Measure, tobacco products affected include:

• Cigarettes
• Cigarillos
• Cigars
• Beedies
• Ang hoon
• Other roll-your-own tobacco products

The only thing that helps to differentiate between brands is the name and product written in a uniform font.

And if you noticed that the body part picture is bigger, that’s because it is.

The size of the pictures will be increased from 50% to 75% of the box’s face.

The measure was put into place after an “extensive review of local and international studies, research and evidence on the SP Measure, and several rounds of public consultations.”

It was also mentioned that similar anti-smoking measures implemented overseas helped in the war against smoking.

Featured Image: Doucefleur / Shutterstock.com