News

There is a beautiful sign at Bukit Batok Polyclinic to remind us that patients need fresh air. In fact, everyone needs fresh air. I hope Singapore can be a nation of non-smokers in future, and there can be more protection for non-smokers now. May 31 is the annual World No Tobacco Day. We all know that smoking is harmful, yet, generation after generation, our young pick up this poor habit. Adopting a generational ban to stop the sale of cigarettes (including e-cigarettes) can help Singapore become a nation of non-smokers, a goal set by the National Smoking Control Programme launched in 1986, with tobacco control policies implemented since the 1970s. Secondhand smoke ought to be treated more seriously as a public health threat, with more punitive penalties in cases of non-compliance with court decisions, rather than as conflicts between neighbours. Smokers who are considerate would find spaces to smoke without having others breathe in the smoke they breathe out. It would be healthier for all of us if there were laws that compel smokers to behave in such a considerate manner. The smoking prevalence here is probably higher than the 10.1 per cent quoted in 2020 because of the presence of foreigners who smoke. While smokers have a right to smoke, it is also time to uphold the right of our larger non-smoking population to fresh air.