Carolyn Bennett, Minister for Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced on Wednesday that Canada will become the first country in the world to require health warnings on individual cigarettes. According to CNN, cigarettes will be labeled in both French and English with a number of different warnings.
“Tobacco use continues to kill 48,000 Canadians each year,” Bennett said in a news release. “We are taking action by being the first country in the world to label individual cigarettes with health warning messages. This bold step will make health warning messages 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. We will continue to do whatever it takes to help more people in Canada stop smoking and help young people to live healthy tobacco-free lives.”
“Tobacco smoke harms children,” “Cigarettes cause leukemia,” “Poison in every puff,” “Cigarettes damage your organs,” Cigarettes cause cancer” and “Tobacco smoke harms children” are a few of the labels that will be printed.
“Tobacco Products Appearance, Packaging and Labelling Regulations” is part of the government’s efforts to curb smoking in Canada, which targets the country reaching less than 5% tobacco use by 2035.
The regulations will go into effect Aug. 1, but will be implemented through a phased approach. Most of the regulation’s Canadian market measures are still expected to come into effect by the end of the year. By the end of April 2025, retailers will carry tobacco products featuring new health-related messages.
“Tobacco use continues to be one of Canada’s most significant public health problems, and is the country’s leading preventable cause of disease and premature death in Canada,” Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said in a news release. “Our government is using every evidence-based tool at our disposal to help protect the health of Canadians, especially young people . Beginning next year, these new measures will help make sure that everyone across the country can receive credible information on the risks of tobacco use so they can make healthier choices for their wellbeing.”
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