Since 1992, Singapore has upheld a law that if you broke it, you could get caned (yeowch!). A pretty painful punishment for chewing gum but there’s a good reason for that.

Before the ban, blobs of gum had become so troublesome that subway doors were kept from closing (which led to delays). The ban is necessary to keep Singapore a healthy, clean environment without gum littering and vandalism.

“A clean city is more important than the freedom to chew gum,” says the secretary of the national development ministry, Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman. If the ban was lifted, people might start littering gum again and dirty the environment (however, medicinal gum is allowed). Better to be safe than sorry!

You know, the ban isn’t such a bad idea. I’m sure most of us had to sit at the dirty desk at school with all the gum littered on the bottom, brushing against your legs and hands. I know I have and it’s gross! However, I love to chew gum and it helps to keep me awake during some of my classes. It wouldn’t be the end of the world for me if gum was banned in the U.S. but chewing it is one of the pleasures I would rather keep.

Source