Tobacco-free generation laws ban the sale of tobacco to those born after a specific year and prevent future generations from ever starting to smoke, while not affecting existing smokers.
The tobacco-free generation proposal was made in Singapore as early as 2010, but is now set to be adopted by a foreign country instead. The cities of Balanga in the Philippines and Brookline in the United States also have laws supporting a tobacco-free generation.
Former MP Lee Bee Wah has said that she believes such a generational approach could work.
Laws like Singapore’s that set a minimum age for using tobacco products make smoking seem like something that is acceptable for people of a certain age, when in reality, it is harmful for everyone. Some young people may even see smoking as an act that marks a person’s coming of age, and that is even worse.
