Import and sale of Shisha to be banned in Singapore from November 2014.
The health ministry of Singapore will impose a ban on the import, distribution and sale of shisha in the country owing to the associated health risks, it was announced on November 4, 2014. The ban will most likely be in place affective November 2014.
The Shisha ban will be imposed under the new Prohibited Tobacco Products Regulations devised under Section 15 of the Tobacco Control of Advertisements and Sale Act.
As per the country’s National Health Survey 2010, 7.8 per cent of young adults between the age of 18 and 29 take to occasional shisha smoking, in comparison to one per cent among older adults. The Student Health Survey too has found that the proportion of students using alternative tobacco products, including shisha, had increased from two per cent in 2009 to nine per cent in 2012.
Keeping in mind the health risks associated with shisha smoking, the move has been put into affect to apply legal barricades in order to block the proliferation of the practice in Singapore, as it is also seen as a gateway to cigarette smoking.
However, to ease the transition of businesses dependent on the shisha market, the government will allow licensed importers, distributors and retailers to continue selling their products in order to deplete stocks and phase out or restructure their business in Singapore by July 31, 2016.
Photo Credits: healthxchange.com.sg
