Singapore should ban cigarettes for those born after 2010

Thought Leadership

Some of the world’s leaders, and leading thinkers from NUS and overseas, regularly gather and add to the rich diversity of thoughts and ideas on our campuses, in Singapore and across the globe.
Here’s what they had to share.

Speakers: Dr Jeremy Lim and Dr Elliot Eu 20 Dec 2022

Despite Singapore’s best efforts, the decline in local smoking rates has hit a plateau, and bolder measures are required in the pursuit of realising a smoke-free country, argue Dr Jeremy Lim, Director of the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation at NUS’ Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, and Dr Elliot Eu, Preventative Medicine Resident from NUHS. This could take the form of a tobacco ban for those born after 2010, following similar legislation that has been passed in Malaysia and New Zealand. Drs Lim and Eu contend that such a ban would dispel any expectations of smoking as an adolescent ‘rite-of-passage’ and set the narrative that we do not want our children to start smoking, ensuring cigarettes remain illicit permanently whilst respecting the autonomy of older smokers who might find it harder to kick the habit.

Learn more