烟草在线据今日在线报道编译　　新加坡在进一步努力降低吸烟率，梦想“有一天让烟草从新加坡消失”。

　　3月7日，新加坡卫生部长Amy Khor在国会供应委员会的辩论会上发表讲话时说，尽管从开展教育活动到征税和立法的多方工作已经使新加坡的吸烟率下降到了15%——“这是世界上最佳的成绩之一”——但新加坡不会放松控烟措施。

　　她说：“为了使我们进入到烟草控制的下一阶段，在组织管理严密的法律措施之外，我们将把核心放在力量更强大的措施上，这些措施将会使烟草使用非正常化，并将无烟生活确定为一种社会标准。我们还会在禁止在除了指定吸烟区外的所有公共场所吸烟的长期目标方面与全国教育协会合作。”

　　在回应议会部长Janil Puthucheary询问，卫生部是否考虑成为一个“无烟国家”的目标时，Khor女士说：“我们与Janil博士的目标一样，就是使烟草有一天从新加坡消失，但这一天什么时候到来，我们还不确定。”

　　为此，从明年三月开始，卫生部将禁止烟草产品的包装和标签上使用误导性词语，降低卷烟焦油和尼古丁含量限额，并用新的一套图片健康警语代替原来的健康警语，以确保持续的影响力。

　　近日，政府发起了一项推动无烟环境的蓝丝带行动，与此同时，健康促进委员会与青年网络合作，开展“提高生活质量，不要点燃香烟”的活动，Khor女士说，已经取得了一些成功，在过去一个月里，每天至少吸一支烟的13至16岁青少年比例从2000年的11%下降到了2009年的6%。

Singapore, a tobacco-free nation? Maybe one day

Today Online
Mar 7, 2012

　　SINGAPORE - The Republic is rolling out further efforts to lower the smoking rate here, with a vision of "eliminating tobacco from Singapore one day".

　　Speaking today in Parliament at the Committee of Supply debates, Minister of State for Health Amy Khor said that while efforts ranging from education to taxes and legislation had brought smoking rates here down to 15 per cent - "one of the best in the world" - Singapore could not afford to let its guard down.

　　"To bring us to the next stage in tobacco control, beyond top-down legislative measures, we will focus on stronger, ground-up efforts that together, will de-normalise tobacco use and establish smoke-free living as the social norm," she said. "We will also work with NEA on the long-term goal of banning smoking in all public places other than designated smoking areas."

　　Responding to a query from Minister of Parliament Janil Puthucheary, in which he asked if the Ministry of Health would consider articulating a vision of being a "tobacco-free nation", Ms Khor said: "We share Dr Janil's vision of eliminating tobacco from Singapore one day, but when that day will come, we cannot be sure."

　　To that end, from March next year, the Health Ministry will ban misleading terms on tobacco product packaging and labelling, and lower cigarette tar and nicotine limits. Graphic Health Warnings will be replaced with a new set to ensure continued impact.

　　A Blue Ribbon movement was launched last week to promote smoke-free environments, while the Health Promotion Board is working with youth networks on a "Live it Up Without Lighting Up" movement. Some success has been seen, Ms Khor said, with the rates of youths aged 13 to 16 years old smoking on at least one day in the past month decreasing from 11 per cent in 2000 to 6 per cent in 2009.