In efforts to curb smoking in the nations, Singapore is taking another step to prevent smokers being attracted to fancy packaging and promotion offers. Effective July 1, all tobacco products imported into, distributed, sold, offered for sale or possessed for sale must comply with the standardised packaging regulations.

The tobacco products include cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, beedies, ang hoon and other roll-your-own tobacco.

According to the republic’s Ministry of Health, the requirements set out in the regulations encompass the appearance, packaging and labeling on retail packaging of all tobacco products.

Under the guideline, it will require the brands to remove all logos, colours, images and promotional information on the packaging, other than brand names and variant names displayed in a standard colour and font style.

Apart from that it would also ask for the minimum size of the mandatory graphic health warnings to be increased to 75% from the existing 50% of all specified tobacco product packaging surfaces. Graphic images are also practice here in Malaysia to get people to quit, but that has done little to prevent habitual smokers from dropping the habit.

Since Covid-19 there has been many inquires on the disease effecting smokers more seriously than non-smokers, according the MOH the risk is there but no direct correlation has been made as of yet.

Malaysia could see enacting similar standards, but very few see the new rules reducing the smoking culture in the country.

Singapore noted that the measures are part of the republic continued efforts on tobacco control as the use is associated with cancers such as mouth and lung, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, lung disease and many other diseases.

“It is the second highest contributor to ill health and premature death in Singapore,” it said.