HSA Suspends / Revokes Errant Tobacco Retailers Caught Selling Tobacco to Underage Youth
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will be suspending the licences of 10 tobacco retailers for selling tobacco products to underage youth. In addition, one tobacco retailer's licence will also be revoked as the retail outlet's employee was caught for selling tobacco product to an obviously underage youth in school uniform.
2 As the Authority takes a very serious view of sales of tobacco products to underage youth, all tobacco retailers had earlier been informed that with effect from 1 December 2010, enhanced administrative actions against errant tobacco retailers were revised as below:
i. 1st offence – six months suspension of tobacco retail licence;
ii. 2nd offence – revocation of tobacco retail licence.
3 Tobacco retailers have also been advised that should any outlet be found to have sold tobacco products to obviously underage youth in school uniform or those below 12 years of age, the tobacco retail licence will be revoked, even for the 1st offence.
4 A total of 11 errant tobacco sellers were prosecuted and convicted in March 2011 for selling tobacco to underage youth. Following the conviction of these offences, the Authority will proceed to suspend the licences of the respective 10 tobacco retail outlets for six months, with the earliest starting from 1 June 2011.
5 The tobacco retail licence for one outlet (refer to S/n 3 in Table 1 below) will be revoked as the seller had sold a tobacco product to an obviously underage youth who was in a lower secondary school uniform (short-sleeve white shirt and short pants). Details of the 11 offences are summarized as follows:
S/N Name of Address of Date Court Punishment 1 7-Eleven 1189 Upper Serangoon Road, 14-Dec-10 Fine of $1,500 6 months suspension 2 Al Bismi Blk 247, Tampines Street 21, 4-Jan-11 Fine of $2,000 As above 3 Tan Bee Hwa Blk 90, Whampoa Drive, 13-Jan-11 Fine of $1,500 Revocation 4 7-Eleven 8 Grange Road, #01-08, 5-Dec-10 As above 6 months suspension 5 PM Haja Store Blk 23, Marsiling Drive, 10-Dec-10 As above As above 6 Pasir Ris 444 Blk 444 Pasir Ris Drive 6, 12-Dec-10 As above As above 7 Teck Guan Minimart Blk 523, Hougang Ave 6, 14-Dec-10 As above As above 8 Yak Hong Minimart Blk 515A, Woodlands Drive 14, 22-Jan-11 Fine of $2,000 As above 9 Natural Hock Trading Blk 804, Hougang Central, 7-Jan-11 Fine of $1,500 As above 10 Ang Eng Hwa Kiosk Blk 25 Eunos Crescent 10-Jan-11 As above As above 11 Bedok Reservoir Minimart Blk 121, Bedok Reservoir Road, 12-Jan-11 As above As above
Retail Outlet
Retail Outlet
of
Offence
actions
against
seller
for retailers
#01-06, Hougang Plaza
(1-Jun-11 to 30-Nov-11)
Minimart
#01-K1
#01-52
(from 1-Jun-11 onwards)
Cathay Cineleisure Orchard
(1-Jul-11 to 31-Dec-11)
#01-145
Kopi Point Pte Ltd
#01-102
#01-123
#01-183
#01-120
#01-3063
#01-94
7 HSA takes a serious view on the use of tobacco products by underage persons, and consequently, the illegal sale of tobacco products to such underage persons. We will enforce this prohibition stringently so as to prevent the illegal sale of tobacco products to underage youth.
8 Members of the public can view the List of Suspended / Revoked Tobacco Retailers at:
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/health_products_regulation/tobacco/Suspended_Licences.html.
9 HSA also encourages members of the public who have information on the illegal sale of tobacco products to call the hotline of the Tobacco Regulation Branch at Tel: 62138930 or 62138931 during office hours.
HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE
31 MAY 2011
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