Here's what smokers must be looking for when buying a cigarette starting March

Without the revised ‘SDPC’ mark, it's deemed illegal.

From 1 March 2013, all cigarettes sold in Singapore must carry the revised ‘SDPC’ (Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette) mark. The new mark features a series of vertical bars around the cigarette stick, a measure to allow enforcement officers and the public to be able to better visibly differentiate duty-paid cigarettes from contraband cigarettes.

To facilitate manufacturers and retailers phase in the revised SDPC mark, Singapore Customs allowed the sales of the cigarettes bearing the revised mark from 1 December 2012. With effect from 1 March 2013, cigarettes without the revised ‘SDPC’ mark will be deemed illegal.

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