OTTAWA: The country’s addictions minister Carolyn Bennett said Canada would soon require that health warnings be printed on individual cigars and cigarettes to further crack down on smoking.
According to Voice of America, the messaging, to be phased in starting from the first of August, would include lines such as “Poison in every puff,” “Tobacco smoke dangerous for children”, and “Cigarettes cause cancer.”
Addictions Minister said tobacco use continues to kill 48,000 Canadians yearly. The latest labelling rule is a world; first, she said, although Britain has flirted with a similar regulation.
Bennett said, “This bold step would make health warning messages virtually unavoidable and, together with updated graphic pictures displayed on the package, would provide a real and startling reminder of the health consequences of smoking.”
The Canadian government noted that some young citizens, particularly susceptible to the high risk of tobacco dependence, start smoking after being given a single cigarette rather than a pack labelled with health warnings.
In 2000, Canada became the first country to order graphic warnings on packs of cigarettes — including grisly pictorials of diseased hearts and lungs — to increase awareness of the health hazards of tobacco use.
Smoking has been trending down over the past two decades.
Ottawa’s goal is to further reduce the number of smokers in the country to 5 per cent of the population, and about 2 million people, by 2035, from about 13 per cent.
Government data shows that almost half of the country’s healthcare costs are linked to substance use.
