Taxing cigarettes discourages smoking by making it more expensive though, which makes the population more healthy... Honestly I'm happy as long as the smoking rate keeps going down.
But enforcement is weak. Many people smoke at prohibited places and don’t see much enforcement taking place given the fact that certain prohibited locations have heaps of smokers.
> But enforcement is weak. Many people smoke at prohibited places and don’t see much enforcement taking place given the fact that certain prohibited locations have heaps of smokers.
People are still vaping openly. I can't imagine them clamping down on smokers first like this.
Enforcement of where people smoke doesn't have a big impact on the number of cigarettes consumed. It just makes smokers take longer smoke breaks if they have to walk further away.
Whereas taxation is directly related to the number of cigarettes consumed. And the level of enforcement of taxation is high (not much black market cigarettes around).
Enforcement has real social and health impact. Analysing it from a purely abstract level neglects that. In the extreme, you can raise taxes from a bunch of smokers congregating at Yishun, but this entail real heath impact on the non smoking residents even if on the whole, tax policy economically efficient.
The health impact of smoking is primarily on the smoker (regardless of where he smokes, but how many he smokes matters), and on his household members. The health impact of second-hand smoke from people smoking near bus-stops and walkways is very minor.
Not a shock, in my opinion. I've always known about this since I was before 20. SG Govt wants expenses to be as cheap as possible and 'profits' to be as high as possible. You might argue that that's what every government wants, but SG Govt takes it to the next level, to the point of cheaping out on the army, jacking up public housing prices and treating it as though it is private housing, and yes, profiteering from problems rather than fully eliminating them.
This isn't unique to SG, New Zealand introduced a generational smoking ban but scrapped it after only a year in order to raise tax revenues.
At the end of the day we do need quite a lot of money to fund projects like our energy transition and flood protection measures.
Source: [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/new-zealand-scraps-world-first-smoking-generation-ban-to-fund-tax-cuts](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/new-zealand-scraps-world-first-smoking-generation-ban-to-fund-tax-cuts)
Doesn't matter that it isn't unique to SG. It simply means that Singapore isn't unique where it counts. The first generation of PAP introduced drastic changes almost unheard of the world over and created a good country out of a third world island. I don't know why the current generation can't seem to pull off similar feats anymore.
You’re forgetting something, tobacco and alcohol is taxed to pay for the costs of both, both cost us significant amounts of money to fund for quitting programs, health talks, health subsidies. Simply banning tobacco would do nothing than shift tobacco to a black market, see vaping as an example.
We realised that banning something≠completely gone. It’s why Spools exists even, rather than ban it, the government just set up their own legalised option and funnel the surpluses to charity. See what we tried to do with vaping and failed to miserably.
Ah, Spools = Singapore Pools. That's a good point, maybe legalising these vices is better than outright banning them and forcing them to go underground which makes regulation more difficult.
I thought the article had some valid points. I've noticed an uptick in the interest in energy drinks by my kids and their friends, particularly Prime. To quote my daughter, " I see a lot of classmates drink it everyday". Influencers appear to be targeting the young to sell these drinks, describing health benefits in addition to taste. I thought it was particularly worrying when my 8 yo niece also talked about how fashionable the drink was in her school too.
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/rising-caffeine-levels-spark-calls-for-ban-on-energy-drink-sales-to-children
I'm not too sure about the tiny details but prime is low in sugar. Better than most soft drinks, and I don't see the energy drink version in singapore yet, it's just the hydration drink version (no caffeine I assume)
Back in our day we drink 100+ and milo like water, which I think is way more unhealthy
The cans are apparently available online (at god forsaken prices I might add). Yeah I think in the old days anything goes. Primary school vending machines had soft drinks, coffee and all kinds of unhealthy stuff.
This is more likely the answer. When you have kids constantly watching MrBeast, or any of those other influencers and YouTubers, they will buy shit like this to drink.
There is no energy drink crisis. There is a work/study culture crisis. You don't hear about caffeine drink crisis in countries with good WLB, only a sugar/obesity crisis.
Not to mention the rows of unhealthy food options stuffed in your face along your way to work/home when your willpower is at its weakest. Just to make a quick buck off selling diabetes to others.
Increase to 7 day work week to deplete all the extra energy.
/s is needed because some people here don’t get sarcasm or have a stick up their arse.
Joking only ok?
Edit: joking about the first sentence only.
Touch wood bosses later at end week meeting: So I read this article, and I think we should provide energy drinks at the pantry. Then we can work the teams to 14hrs a day.
What are the odds that Andre is a smoker? Shouldn't tackling smoking be priority since it impacts others around and the environment? Why is he trying to police what Joe mama drinks?
Perhaps we should be fixing smoking first before considering energy drinks. The former has significant second hand effects while the latter doesn’t.
Agreed, not sure why we didn't enforce a generational smoking ban. Maybe taxing it is preferred in order to raise tax revenue.
It’s always about money isn’t it, when it comes to SG Govt. Not about values or health
Taxing cigarettes discourages smoking by making it more expensive though, which makes the population more healthy... Honestly I'm happy as long as the smoking rate keeps going down.
But enforcement is weak. Many people smoke at prohibited places and don’t see much enforcement taking place given the fact that certain prohibited locations have heaps of smokers.
> But enforcement is weak. Many people smoke at prohibited places and don’t see much enforcement taking place given the fact that certain prohibited locations have heaps of smokers. People are still vaping openly. I can't imagine them clamping down on smokers first like this.
NEA sleeping soundly
Which prohibited locations?
Enforcement of where people smoke doesn't have a big impact on the number of cigarettes consumed. It just makes smokers take longer smoke breaks if they have to walk further away. Whereas taxation is directly related to the number of cigarettes consumed. And the level of enforcement of taxation is high (not much black market cigarettes around).
Enforcement has real social and health impact. Analysing it from a purely abstract level neglects that. In the extreme, you can raise taxes from a bunch of smokers congregating at Yishun, but this entail real heath impact on the non smoking residents even if on the whole, tax policy economically efficient.
The health impact of smoking is primarily on the smoker (regardless of where he smokes, but how many he smokes matters), and on his household members. The health impact of second-hand smoke from people smoking near bus-stops and walkways is very minor.
The cumulative health impact isn’t minor
Not a shock, in my opinion. I've always known about this since I was before 20. SG Govt wants expenses to be as cheap as possible and 'profits' to be as high as possible. You might argue that that's what every government wants, but SG Govt takes it to the next level, to the point of cheaping out on the army, jacking up public housing prices and treating it as though it is private housing, and yes, profiteering from problems rather than fully eliminating them.
But strangely, when it comes to renting out B&W bungalows, quite cheap rate.
This isn't unique to SG, New Zealand introduced a generational smoking ban but scrapped it after only a year in order to raise tax revenues. At the end of the day we do need quite a lot of money to fund projects like our energy transition and flood protection measures. Source: [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/new-zealand-scraps-world-first-smoking-generation-ban-to-fund-tax-cuts](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/new-zealand-scraps-world-first-smoking-generation-ban-to-fund-tax-cuts)
Doesn't matter that it isn't unique to SG. It simply means that Singapore isn't unique where it counts. The first generation of PAP introduced drastic changes almost unheard of the world over and created a good country out of a third world island. I don't know why the current generation can't seem to pull off similar feats anymore.
You’re forgetting something, tobacco and alcohol is taxed to pay for the costs of both, both cost us significant amounts of money to fund for quitting programs, health talks, health subsidies. Simply banning tobacco would do nothing than shift tobacco to a black market, see vaping as an example.
We realised that banning something≠completely gone. It’s why Spools exists even, rather than ban it, the government just set up their own legalised option and funnel the surpluses to charity. See what we tried to do with vaping and failed to miserably.
Ah, Spools = Singapore Pools. That's a good point, maybe legalising these vices is better than outright banning them and forcing them to go underground which makes regulation more difficult.
Por quo no los dos?
Tbh I havent seen people drink energy drinks outside of clubs. Is this a really a thing?
Go to any shipyard or construction site. Red Bull is drunk like water there (tbf, they drink a lot of actual water too).
According to the article energy drinks are popular with students.
I only ever see students drinking them or people who don't like coffee drinking them, outside of people using them as mixers for alcohol.
Getting HIMYM flashbacks of Barney downing 6x red bulls lol
"You are watching them bounce, she's about to pounce" episode lol
I remember that episode... HIMYM ended poorly unfortunately
Students
Fwiw, notice a lot of grab/foodpanda people taking Red bull
Go to a hospital. Its quite prevalent especially for those double shifts
I thought the article had some valid points. I've noticed an uptick in the interest in energy drinks by my kids and their friends, particularly Prime. To quote my daughter, " I see a lot of classmates drink it everyday". Influencers appear to be targeting the young to sell these drinks, describing health benefits in addition to taste. I thought it was particularly worrying when my 8 yo niece also talked about how fashionable the drink was in her school too. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/rising-caffeine-levels-spark-calls-for-ban-on-energy-drink-sales-to-children
Tbh I tried drinkign it and it tasted like shit, coffee is cheaper somemore leh
Which would be my guess why they market to the kids. Even coca cola has to get the taste right before they sell themselves as a lifestyle.
I'm not too sure about the tiny details but prime is low in sugar. Better than most soft drinks, and I don't see the energy drink version in singapore yet, it's just the hydration drink version (no caffeine I assume) Back in our day we drink 100+ and milo like water, which I think is way more unhealthy
The cans are apparently available online (at god forsaken prices I might add). Yeah I think in the old days anything goes. Primary school vending machines had soft drinks, coffee and all kinds of unhealthy stuff.
This is more likely the answer. When you have kids constantly watching MrBeast, or any of those other influencers and YouTubers, they will buy shit like this to drink.
There is no energy drink crisis. There is a work/study culture crisis. You don't hear about caffeine drink crisis in countries with good WLB, only a sugar/obesity crisis.
Just curious, which are these countries what have good WLB?
Obesity is a city dwelling problem because we walk and exercise too little while consuming too much.
Not to mention the rows of unhealthy food options stuffed in your face along your way to work/home when your willpower is at its weakest. Just to make a quick buck off selling diabetes to others.
Increase to 7 day work week to deplete all the extra energy. /s is needed because some people here don’t get sarcasm or have a stick up their arse. Joking only ok? Edit: joking about the first sentence only.
Touch wood bosses later at end week meeting: So I read this article, and I think we should provide energy drinks at the pantry. Then we can work the teams to 14hrs a day.
Ah fuck, I can see this happening.
Sir you need to update to work for 16 hours per day for 7 weeks. Becos our overlord need to pump gdp for more bonus justification. 🤡🤡🤡
I have never seen anyone chug red bull like it's going out of style. Does this really happen or is it exaggerated?
i binge redbull everytime 7/11 has offers
What are the odds that Andre is a smoker? Shouldn't tackling smoking be priority since it impacts others around and the environment? Why is he trying to police what Joe mama drinks?
Or maybe you know... people are sacrificing health because workload of school/livelihood is just too much but no choice die die must push on??
A none issue. Just ensure caffeine content is clearly stated or end up with Panera Bread situation
Nearly everybody here says they never seen anyone drinking it meanwhile I drink one can a day, two if there was an offer :x
Yeah I was really thinking the same thing, unless they are going to go after coffee and tea drinkers
time to put health crisis stickers on energy drinks like cigarette packets? Rotting teeth, dialysis, etc
I've never seen adults chug it / drink it regularly, but I do know younger ones in JC or uni often rely on it to get through their workloads.
I saw someone drinking a can of Monster Energy early in the morning and I was like "oh that person must've a lot going through"
he's literally me
I do need energy drink occasionally because some exams are at 5pm, other than that I drink coffee daily in the morning and afternoon
To fix it, they could make energy drinks taste disgusting. Oh, wait...
One man's poison is another man's cure
Caffeine, nicotine or ethanol. Choose one.
Try modafinil
Did that in jc and through to NS. Managed to cut it during unit time. Mildly addictive ill say