National

Ottawa proposes warnings printed on each cigarette

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Jun, 2022 01:13 PM

Canada is poised to become the first country in the world to require that a warning be printed on every cigarette.

The move builds on Canada's mandate to include graphic photo warnings on tobacco products' packaging — a groundbreaking policy that started an international trend when it was introduced two decades ago.

"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," Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett said at a news conference 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."

A consultation period for the proposed change is set to begin Saturday, and the government anticipates the changes coming into force in the latter half of 2023.

While the exact messaging printed on cigarettes could change, Bennett said the current proposal is: "Poison in every puff."

Bennett also revealed expanded warnings for cigarette packages that include a longer list of smoking's health effects.

Canada has required the photo warnings since the turn of the millennium, but the images haven't been updated in a decade.

Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, said he hopes the warnings printed directly on cigarettes become popular internationally, just like the packaging warnings did.

"This is going to set a world precedent," Cunningham said, adding no other country has implemented such regulations. He's hopeful that the warning will make a real difference.

Canada demonstrates world leadership and will be first country to require a health warning on every cigarette, along with strengthened tobacco health warning requirements. CCS commends these measures to reduce tobacco use: https://t.co/C8VvceHQPU @Carolyn_Bennett @jyduclos pic.twitter.com/LyaIGiahhU
— Canadian Cancer Society (@cancersociety) June 10, 2022

"It's a warning that you simply cannot ignore," Cunningham said. "It's going to reach every smoker, with every puff."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Burnaby RCMP is looking to identify two suspects that were involved in two break-ins and mail theft incidents in March.

On March 21, 2022 at approximately 2:30 p.m., two suspects broke into two residential complexes in the 7200-block of Collier Street and proceeded to pry the main panel of the mailboxes open and steal all the mail.

Burnaby RCMP is looking to identify two suspects that were involved in two break-ins and mail theft incidents in March.

Winters hotel fire victims identified

The hotel, built in 1907, had been the home to dozens of low-income residents. The fire department said at the time of the blaze that when crews arrived, it was too dangerous to try to enter the building, and they couldn’t determine if anyone else was still inside.

Winters hotel fire victims identified

'Upward trajectory' on NATO, Norad spending: Anand

Anand also says she's in the process of working on the "unwritten chapter" of Canada's defence strategy: modernizing the outdated continental defence system it shares with the U.S.

'Upward trajectory' on NATO, Norad spending: Anand

Power out, weather alerts issued in parts of B.C.

Environment Canada posted wind warnings on Wednesday for much of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the southern Gulf Islands. The forecast called for very strong southwesterly winds of 70 kilometres per hour, gusting to 90 km/h, but easing by afternoon.

Power out, weather alerts issued in parts of B.C.

Feds move to bar sanctioned Russians from Canada

The changes would allow the Canada Border Services Agency to deny entry to, and remove, people who have been sanctioned, and would enable Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada officials to deny visas.

Feds move to bar sanctioned Russians from Canada

Canada-Iran soccer game comes under fire

At issue is whether Canada should be hosting Iran given the Canadians who died on Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 when it was shot down on Jan. 8, 2020, minutes after taking off from Tehran, by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. The Canadian government says 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents were among the 176 people killed.