For the first time in the world, Canada has decided to make it compulsory for each cigarette to display a warning saying ‘Tobacco is harmful’.
According to the New York Times (NYT) and CNN of the United States, Canadian health authorities took measures on the 31st (local time) to commemorate World No Tobacco Day, saying, “Tobacco companies are obliged to insert a warning about health into every single cigarette. do,” he said.
Health Canada said the move aims to help smokers quit smoking while protecting youth and non-smokers from nicotine addiction.
As a result, all cigarettes sold in Canada contain phrases such as ‘every sip is poison’, ‘cigarette smoke is harmful to children’, and ‘tobacco causes impotence’ in official English in Canada. It was written in both English and French.
Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, said in an interview with CNN regarding this action, “It sets a global precedent in the way that smokers face (the harmful effects of smoking) every time they smoke.” Jeffrey Fong, senior researcher at the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project, said in an interview with the NYT, “Those who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day will see countless warnings.”
Canadian health authorities have released an example of a warning message engraved on each cigarette. @DocsVsTobacco Twitter captureCanada plans to implement these measures in phases starting August 1 and apply them to all cigarettes sold in Canada by the end of April 2025.
Since 2001, Canada has been emphasizing the harmfulness of cigarettes to such an extent that it has been the first in the world to include a warning picture showing the harmfulness of smoking in a naked image on cigarette packs. Cigarette pack warning pictures, which began in Canada, are being implemented by more than 100 countries around the world, including Korea.
Citing a study of 9,000 adult smokers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia published in 2006, the New York Times reported, “Those who saw warning pictures on cigarette packs were found to be more aware of certain health risks associated with smoking.” In fact, the smoking rate in Canada has gradually fallen since the introduction of the warning picture, and now the smoking rate in Canada over the age of 15 is 10.2%.
The Canadian government has further set a goal of reducing the smoking rate of the total population to less than 5% by 2035 through the introduction of ‘cigarette cigarette warning phrases’. In this regard, a Canadian health authority official said, “The fact that about 48,000 Canadians still die every year due to smoking is the background of the strengthening measures.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.