Two decades ago Canada introduced a mandate to include graphic photo warnings on tobacco products’ packaging which started a international trend. Now, it is proposing to print warnings on every cigarette sold in Canada..If successful, Canada would be the first country in the world to require that a warning be printed on every cigarette..“We need to address the concern that these messages may have lost their novelty, and to an extent we worry that they may have lost their impact as well,” Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett said at a news conference on Friday..“Adding health warnings on individual tobacco products will help ensure that these essential messages reach people including the youth, who often access cigarettes one at a time in social situations, sidestepping the information printed on a package.”.The government anticipates the changes will come into force in the latter half of 2023..It is currently unclear what the warning message will entail, but Bennett said the current proposal is: “Poison in every puff.”.Although packages currently have outdated images from a decade ago, Bennett said expanded warnings for cigarette packages that include a longer list of smoking’s health effects, including stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, diabetes and peripheral vascular disease will also be implemented if approved..The latest data from Statistics Canada, released last month, shows 10% of Canadians reported smoking regularly. The government is seeking to cut that rate in half by 2035..According to the Canadian Lung Association, tobacco continues to be the number one cause of preventable disease and death in Canada. An estimated 48,000 Canadians die each year as a result of smoking. Countless others live with chronic diseases. Despite public health education and prevention efforts, and approximately 15% of Canadians currently smoke..The government hopes it can help Canadians to butt out with its new warning messages..For more information to help you quit smoking call the Smokers' Helpline at 1-866-641-7675.
