Chewing Gum Is Banned in Singapore

While a piece of discarded chewing gum might seem like a minor nuisance, in Singapore, it was once disruptive enough to bring the nation's state-of-the-art Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system to a standstill. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, vandals discovered that gum could be used to jam the sensors on automatic train doors, causing repeated service disruptions. This was the final straw for a government already frustrated with the high cost of cleaning improperly disposed of gum from public spaces. The incidents prompted then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to push for the 1992 ban on the import and sale of all chewing gum, viewing it as a threat to the country's meticulously maintained environment and infrastructure.

The ban is often misunderstood; it has never been illegal to simply chew gum in Singapore, but the commercial means of obtaining it were completely cut off. This strict rule saw a slight modification in 2004, not due to a change in domestic policy, but as a direct result of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. American company Wrigley successfully lobbied for an exception to be made for gums with proven therapeutic value. Today, sugar-free dental gums or nicotine gums can be purchased, but only from a pharmacist who is required to take down the buyer's name and identification details, ensuring the law remains a serious deterrent.