Time to stub out flavoured cigarettes

Menthol, fruit and other novelty flavours are why young Singaporeans still experiment with smoking. A ban on these flavours might be effective, as Singapore nears its endgame in its fight against tobacco use.

Young people are still picking up cigarettes, and it's largely because of the attractive flavours in which cigarettes are still sold. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
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Who knew that menthol, grape and lemon flavours could be so dangerous? Tempting flavours, however, are still luring young people into a potentially lethal habit - smoking cigarettes.

Singapore has done well to clamp down on smoking, ever since launching its national smoking prevention campaign, "Towards a Nation of Non-Smokers", over 30 years ago. At the time, Singapore's tobacco regulations were among the world's strictest.

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