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March 15th, 2016:

Ban on display of tobacco products from 2017

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ban-on-display-of-tobacco-products-from-2017

Retailers will have to keep tobacco products out of sight from next year, following changes to the law approved by Parliament yesterday.

These products include cigarettes, cigars, beedies and “ang hoon”, or loose tobacco leaves.

The ban on the display of such products is intended to prevent impulse buys, especially among young people who have not yet picked up smoking.

However, specialist tobacco shops, such as those that sell cigars, simply need to make sure that their products cannot be seen from outside the shop.

Duty-free shops at Changi Airport will be exempt from the ban for now, while those at seaports will be subject to rules similar to those for specialist tobacco sellers.

Tighter rules on online tobacco advertisements – such as banning ads from Singapore even if they do not target Singaporeans – were also introduced.