National Cancer Centre to spearhead campaign for tobacco ban
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By Rita Zahara, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : In a bold attempt to fight cancer in Asia, nine National Cancer Centres in Asia - including Singapore, China, Japan, Korea and Bangladesh - have signed a landmark agreement.
They will work with their respective governments to ban tobacco.
And Singapore is determined to take the lead in this formidable task.
It may look like a next to impossible task, but the plan is to ban tobacco products from its growth and manufacture, all the way to the import, export and sale of such products.
With Singapore's success in banning chewing gum, the National Cancer Centres in Asia are looking to Singapore to take the lead in proposing a ban on tobacco products in 10 years.
Singapore's National Cancer Centre is in talks with the Health Ministry and wants to work in partnership with the community.
This includes working with the Health Promotion Board to offer alternatives to current smokers, such as nicotine patches.
It will also partner the Education Ministry to roll out educational-outreach programmes, targeting young Singaporeans.
This is on top of existing efforts like increasing the cost of cigarettes and designating more public places as smoke-free zones.
Professor Soo Khee Chee, Director of National Cancer Centre in Singapore, said: "I'm sure the cost-saving from not having to treat tobacco-related illnesses will more than counterbalance the impact of the economy from the tobacco industry.
"The infringement of individual rights, my read on it is that tobacco in some ways does a lot more harm than other things which we have banned... the community has to decide to balance individual rights versus public good."
Even though tobacco usage in Singapore is one of the lowest in the world - some 13 percent - 90 percent of lung cancer in Singapore is related to tobacco use.
And it costs Singapore some $600 million to $800 million a year to treat tobacco-related illnesses..
Lung cancer claims nearly three Singaporeans daily.
The death toll is the highest compared to any other cancer, including breast and colon cancers.
And research has shown, tobacco is the most important preventable cause of lung cancer.
Up to 500 million people in the next 50 years will potentially die of tobacco-related illnesses.
This is despite smokers being 20 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers.
Second-hand smokers are not entirely spared - they make up 29 percent of lung cancer patients. - CNA/de -
Ban??? So serious ah... -
They wun. Lotsa revenue comes from tobacco sales.Originally posted by mistyblue:Ban??? So serious ah...
You think they wanna lose money? Crap.
Futhermore, if they really ban, be prepared for increase in lotsa things to make up for the loss. Like pay more tax or more expensive things.
Their reason will be, standards of living are high... Crap.
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hahaha ... yeah Sg people more likely to die from stress-related issues than cig smoking..
We are world famous for our heart attacks, high blood pressure and anger management issues...