Commencement of the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Amendment Act 2017

COMMENCEMENT OF THE TOBACCO (CONTROL OF ADVERTISEMENTS AND SALE) AMENDMENT ACT 2017

Prohibitions on the purchase, use and possession of emerging and imitation tobacco products to kick in from 1 February 2018 

            From 1 February 2018, new prohibitions on the purchase, use and possession of emerging and imitation tobacco products will come into force. This is the first phase of implementation of the amendments to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act (TCASA), which were passed in Parliament in November 2017.

2.        Under the amended Act, to further reduce opportunities for youths to take up smoking before they turn 21, and to better protect our population from the harms of emerging and imitation tobacco products, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will: 

• Increase the Minimum Legal Age (MLA) for tobacco from age 18 to 21 for the purchase, use, possession, sale and supply of tobacco products; and 

• Further tighten control over emerging and imitation tobacco products to prohibit the purchase, use and possession of these products.

3.        The TCASA Amendment Act 2017^[1] will come into force in phases.  

Prohibitions on purchase, use and possession of emerging and imitation tobacco products

4.        Under TCASA, any persons caught purchasing, in the possession of, or using emerging and imitation tobacco products, are liable for a fine not exceeding $2,000. The public are encouraged to discard any prohibited tobacco products that they currently have in possession.

5.        The importation, sale and distribution of emerging and imitation tobacco products are currently prohibited under Sections 15 and 16 of TCASA. Any person who is convicted of an offence under these Sections for importing, selling or distributing prohibited tobacco products is liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for up to 6 months or to both for the first offence and a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for up to 12 months or to both for the second or subsequent offence.

6.        Examples of prohibited products under Section 15 of the TCASA include smokeless tobacco products, chewing tobacco and shisha, while Section 16 of the TCASA prohibits any device or article that resemble tobacco products. This includes vaporisers such as e-cigarettes, e-pipes, e-cigars and the like. Photo samples of such prohibited tobacco products can be found at Annex A [PDF, 431KB].

7.        Members of the public who have information on the illegal importation, distribution or sales, purchase, use and possession of prohibited tobacco products (including e-cigarettes and other types of vaporisers) are encouraged to report to the Health Sciences Authority’s Tobacco Regulation Branch at Tel: 6684 2036 or 6684 2037 during office hours (9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday) or via email at hsa_trb@hsa.gov.sg.

Raising of the Minimum Legal Age

8.        The Minimum Legal Age (MLA) for the purchase, use, possession, sale and supply of tobacco products will be raised from 18 to 19 years old on 1 January 2019. The MLA will subsequently be raised to 20 on 1 January 2020 and to 21 on 1 January 2021. 

Support and advice available to help smokers quit

9.        MOH strongly urges smokers to quit smoking to reduce the risk of developing smoking-related illnesses. Individuals seeking to quit smoking should use methods proven to be safe and effective. These methods include going cold turkey, undergoing smoking cessation counselling and using licensed nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs). NRTs, when used in conjunction with counselling, can be effective in helping individuals quit smoking in the long run. Advice and support on smoking cessation are available through the toll-free Quitline at 1800 438 2000 or the iQuit club at www.hpb.gov.sg/iquit.

10.        MOH remains committed to lowering smoking prevalence in Singapore through a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach to discourage and reduce the use of tobacco products. This includes public education on the harms of tobacco use, restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion, smoking cessation services and fiscal policies (e.g., taxation). 

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

26 JANUARY 2018

[1] The latest version of TCASA can be found via the following link:

https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/TCASA1993/Uncommenced/20180103?DocDate=20110715&ValidDt=20190101.