In 2001, Canada created news by requiring picture warnings on cigarette packages
Canada intends to place health warnings on individual cigarettes. Canada would be the first country in the world to do so. In 2001, Canada created news by requiring picture warnings on cigarette packages. This measure had become stale for the 13% of Canadians who smoke regularly. Adding health warnings on individual tobacco products will help ensure that the message will reach people, including the youth, who often have access to individual cigarettes in social situations.
Despite decades of efforts, tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of illness and premature death in Canada. Approximately 48,000 people each year pass away due to the effects of tobacco. Health Canada, the nation’s health agency, is proposing that the warning, “Poison in every puff,” be printed on the cigarette paper around the filter. Researchers expressed skepticism that the warnings would have a substantial effect. A better way to reduce smoking among the youth would be to decrease the availability of cigarettes, commonly sold at corner stores and gas stations in Canada, and raise taxes on them, said Robert Schwartz, the executive director of the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit and a professor at the University of Toronto. Smoking is on the decline in Canada, according to 2020 data from Statistics Canada.
