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As of Tuesday, new regulations have been implemented in Canada requiring every cigarette to bear an individual health warning stating that “cigarettes cause impotence” and cancer, and that there is “poison in every puff.”
As reported by AFP, these rules, initially announced in May, represent a global first in tobacco regulation.
Within a year, king-size cigarettes featuring the new individual health labels are anticipated to be available in stores, followed by regular-size cigarettes in early 2025, AFP reported.
According to Canada’s former addictions minister, Carolyn Bennett, warning labels will be “virtually unavoidable and, together with updated graphic images displayed on the package, will provide a real and startling reminder of the health consequences of smoking.”
The Canadian government acknowledged that certain young individuals, who are especially prone to tobacco addiction, may initiate smoking after receiving a single cigarette without health warnings on the pack, rather than a package carrying graphic warnings, AFP further reported.
AFP further reported, in 2000, Canada made history by becoming the first country to mandate graphic warnings on cigarette packs, featuring distressing images of diseased hearts and lungs, with the aim of increasing public awareness about the health risks linked to tobacco consumption.
Over the last twenty years, smoking rates have been declining.
However, government data reveals that tobacco use still results in the death of 48,000 Canadians annually, and nearly half of the nation’s healthcare expenses are associated with substance use. Ottawa’s objective is to further decrease the number of smokers in the country to approximately 2 million people, which is about 5% of the population, by the year 2035. Currently, the smoking rate stands at approximately 13%, AFP reported.
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Updated: 02 Aug 2023, 07:37 AM IST
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