2023-06-01 05:42:02
TORONTO (AP) — Canada will soon be the first country in the world where every cigarette carries a warning message.
The measure was first announced by the Canadian health service, Health Canada, and aims to help people quit smoking. The rule will enter into force on August 1 and will be applied gradually: the largest cigarettes will be the first to include the warning from the end of 2024, followed by normal-size cigarettes and paper and filters, from the end of 2024. April 2025.
“This bold step will make health warning messages virtually inevitable,” Minister for Mental Health and Addiction Carolyn Bennett said on Wednesday.
The messages, in English and French, include phrases such as “poison in every puff”, “tobacco smoke harms children” and “cigarettes cause impotence”.
Health Canada explained that the strategy seeks to reduce tobacco consumption to below 5% by 2035. The new measures also reinforce the graphic images of health content that are included in the packages.
According to Bennett’s statement, tobacco use kills 48,000 Canadians each year.
Doug Roth, chief executive of the charity Heart & Stroke, said the initiative ensures that the danger to lung health cannot be ignored.
The Canadian Cancer Society said the move will reduce smoking and the allure of cigarettes, thus preventing cancer and other diseases.
Tobacco , promotion and sponsorship have been banned in Canada, where cigarette packages have included warnings since 1972.
In 2001, it was the first country to require tobacco companies to include warning images on the outside of health messages and packages.
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