Smokers might start seeing health warnings on cigarettes themselves.
The feds are looking to go a step farther when it comes to warning Canadians about the dangers of tobacco smoke.
We’re familiar with warnings on cigarette cartons, now the government wants to print warnings on individual cigarettes, cigars that have a filter, and cigarette tubes.
“Reducing the devastating harms of tobacco use remains a top priority for health and health care in Canada. To better inform Canadians about the effects of smoking on their health and on the health of those around them, our government is proposing to strengthen regulations that would introduce new warnings of health hazards and negative health effects on tobacco products. If implemented, they would prevent the preventable as they better communicate the health risks of smoking to millions of people across the country each day, helping more Canadians live healthier, happier, and tobacco-free lives.”
– Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Carolyn Bennett.
Manager of Health Initiatives for the Lung Association of Nova Scotia Brett Hopkins says they applaud any effort to reduce the appeal of smoking.
“We’ve known for a long time now that graphic warnings labels are very effective at educating people about the risks of smoking so taking this to the next step by adding them to each individual cigarette, you can’t avoid that.”
Hopkins says 13% of people in Canada aged 12 and over smoke, adding more than 20 billion cigarettes are sold in Canada each year.
He says the federal government needs to focus on what will resonate.
“I hope that there’s considerable research going into what is going to resonate most with smokers and especially with non-smokers, people encountering cigarettes for the first time, we want them to have the clearest message possible.”
The government is currently running a 75-day public consultation period, seeking feedback to develop new tobacco labelling regulations.
Canada was the first country to impalement graphic warning labels on cigarette packages in 2001.
