geraldgiam.sg

6 March 2026

The Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) (Amendment) and Other Matters Bill marks a shift in our approach to drug-laced vaping and the persistent harm of tobacco smoking. Renaming the Act to the “Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act 1993” rightly reflects a focus on modern delivery systems for nicotine and psychoactive substances.

I support the amendments in this Bill which control the purchase, use, possession, import and supply of vaporisers and specified psychoactive substances.

However, I would like to address in my speech the use of tobacco products in the form of smoking.

The Public Health Imperative

Smoking remains a primary driver of preventable disease and death in Singapore. According to the Global Burden of Disease study, in 2023, Singapore saw 2,043 deaths from tobacco, and 66,152 disability-adjusted life years—which are the years of life lost and years lived with disability.

These statistics represent thousands of families whose lives are upended by chronic illness, disability and premature death. Our objective should not be merely to regulate a harmful habit, but to systematically dismantle the structures that allow it to persist in our society through successive generations.

Protecting Residential Airspace

Crucially, the Bill broadens the regulatory landscape by amending the “long title” to explicitly include the control of tobacco product use. This transition from regulating commercial transactions to overseeing actual product usage provides the necessary legislative basis to address how these products impact the immediate environment of our residents.

The expansion of smoking bans in public places could have unintentionally pushed smokers into their homes to light up. I have received numerous complaints from my residents about smoke drifting into their homes from nearby units.

Currently, the authorities are only empowered to provide guidance to smokers to be more considerate. In response to a parliamentary question on 10 September 2024 by my Hon. Friend, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment said that the “exhalation of cigarette smoke to the open air outside of a HDB flat is not a violation of the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Regulations when the individual is smoking within the flat, as smoking is not prohibited in residential homes.”

While smoking within five metres of an HDB void deck is prohibited, smoking at home and blowing smoke into that same protected space is allowed. This highlights a gap in how we protect the air in and around our homes.

Clause 37 of this Bill defines smoking as both the inhaling and expelling of tobacco smoke. This specific focus on the expulsion of smoke suggests that the impact of these emissions on neighbouring units can fall within the Bill’s regulatory ambit. I urge the Minister to utilise the powers under Clause 21 to set standards for the use and emissions of tobacco products, ensuring that private enjoyment does not result in the involuntary consumption of secondary emissions by neighbours.

Smoke-Free Generation

Beyond residential smoking issues, we must move beyond managing the prevalence of smoking and start legislating for its eventual elimination for future generations.

I reiterate my call from 5 March 2024, and echo my Honourable Friend, Ms He Ting Ru, regarding a cohort tobacco ban. This would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to—or for them to be used by—anyone born after a specific year. This will ensure that younger generations of Singaporeans never start smoking, creating a smoke-free future for our children, and our children’s children. I would like to emphasise that this does not further restrict the smoking rights of existing smokers.

I was glad to hear Minister of State Rahayu Mazam say during the Committee of Supply debate on 5 March that the Government remains open to a cohort smoking ban and will study its effectiveness and how it can be applied to Singapore’s context. I hope we can move forward on this expeditiously.

In fact, a crackdown on vaping without equally aggressive cigarette controls risks inadvertently pushing our youth toward smoking. We would not want this Bill, which curbs vaping, to cause a resurgence in cigarette smoking by young people. Therefore, anti-vaping strategies, which I support, must be structurally linked to a definitive tobacco phase-out.

Reducing Addictiveness

Next, we must examine the chemical composition of tobacco products on the market. Nicotine is the primary driver of smoking addiction, and by restricting its concentration, we can reduce the pharmacological “hook” that makes it so difficult to quit using these products.

Under Clause 6 of the Bill, which introduces the new Section 14, the Minister is granted the power to set maximum allowable amounts for substances within tobacco products or their emissions. 

I urge the Minister to exercise the powers granted under Clause 6 of the Bill to set a stringent cap on the nicotine yield in the smoke of all tobacco products. I understand that in the European Union and the United Kingdom, the maximum emission level is strictly limited and the nicotine yield cannot exceed 1.0 mg per cigarette. Can I ask the Minister what nicotine yield limit he intends to prescribe for Singapore under the new Section 14?

Smoke Trails

Finally, I hope the Government can address the harm of second-hand smoking on the move. Even in non-prohibited outdoor areas, a smoker walking ahead of a crowd creates a smoke trail that everyone behind is forced to inhale. This requires greater public education and clearer guidelines on pedestrian etiquette and social responsibility.

Summary and Conclusion

In summary, Mr Speaker, while this Bill provides the necessary tools to control vaporisers and psychoactive substances, we must take this opportunity to protect residents from second-hand smoke.

We must pair enforcement with a tobacco cohort ban to meaningfully reduce our national disease burden. By addressing the gaps in residential smoking and committing to a clear endgame for tobacco, we can better safeguard the health of all Singaporeans.

Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.