Health Canada's new regulations regarding tobacco warning labels

 Canadians who smoke will be reminded about the health risks of smoking with every drag of a cigarette. Health Canada's new regulations regarding warning labels on individual cigarettes went into effect on August 1. Canada is now the first country in the world to take on the initiative in order to help its citizens quit smoking. In a press release on May 31, the federal government said the Tobacco Products Appearance, Packaging and Labelling Regulations will be part of its continued efforts to help adults who smoke to quit, to protect youth and non-tobacco users from nicotine addiction, and to further reduce the appeal of tobacco.

 Tobacco use continues to kill 48,000 Canadians each year, 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."

 Will the new health warnings make a difference?

 Health Canada says tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of illness and premature death in Canada, killing about 48,000 Canadians each year. In a release, the health authority also notes that smoking is linked to more than 40 diseases, and many health effects can be reversed or reduced after a person quits tobacco use.  The number of significant risks associated with smoking, there is a duty for the government to warn Canadians.

 The more extraordinary the threat, the greater the government's duty to warn and the stronger the warnings should be. The new labels will make a difference in the health of Canadians because having a warning on every cigarette means it will be noticeable "with every puff."  It will be present during every smoke break. For youth who are experimenting, they may borrow a cigarette from a friend, without the package, and they'll be exposed to the health warning. For youth, appearance is important, and this is going to make the cigarette less appealing, less attractive, and help to discourage youth smoking. Canada sells "almost 20 billion cigarettes each year, so having a public education initiative like this will reach a lot of people.

 Is Canada's goal of reducing smoking to less than 5% by 2035 achievable?

 The government noted that the new measures will support Canada's Tobacco Strategy and, its target of reaching less than 5% tobacco use by 2035. Even though these new warnings are a step up, Canada needs to be doing more in terms of product regulation to really bring down smoking rates in such a large capacity. They're a small step forward, compared to other countries that are doing policies that are going directly after the cigarette and the engineering of the cigarette that makes it more addictive and more likely for youth to become addicted to this deadly product. New Zealand "extraordinary" in that regard because the country plans to limit the amount of nicotine in cigarettes so that it's "lower than the threshold for addiction. What that will do, is take the addictive component out of cigarettes and therefore, fewer youth will be tempted to smoke. Why go through all that harshness of smoke if you're not getting anything out of it, right? It's kind of like the version of alcohol-free beverages."

 How does smoking impact a person's health?

 According to the Canadian Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Canada, and about 72% of lung cancer cases are due to smoking tobacco. The majority of smokers begin as underage teenagers, so any way of preventing them from even starting will have a big impact on reducing smoking long-term. Not only that, but the Canadian Cancer Society spokesperson says the different labels will resonate with people differently, whether it's the one about impotency or second hand smoke and kids. The labels will also create discussions among different people, whether it's between smokers or kids who may be urging their parents to quit.

 Tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in Canada, and we still have 3.8 million smokers, or 12% of the population, we have an enormous amount of work to do as part of a comprehensive strategy that should include taxation, regulation and enhanced programming. So this is certainly something that deserves strong support.

 Are labels needed on other products?

 With the new measures now in effect, some people may be wondering if labels should be put on other products, like alcohol. While it's unclear if that will happen in Canada at this point, the Canadian Cancer Society would support it.  The United States has that already, but it's extremely small. Ireland has just adopted a new requirement, including an alcoholic cancer warning.