Cigarettes in Canada get a new look to help deter smoking

Taking the warning from just the box, cigarettes in Canada now advertise a pointed message.

“It’s going to reach smokers, but also for youth who may experiment by obtaining a cigarette from a friend, they may not see that health warning on the package, but they’re going to see the health warning right on the cigarette,” said Canadian Cancer Society senior policy analyst, Rob Cunningham.

Written in both English and French, smokers will now find one of six warnings stamped on each filter including:

• tobacco smoke harms children
• cigarettes cause cancer
• cigarettes cause impotence
• cigarettes cause leukemia
• poison in every puff
• cigarettes damage your organs

“It’s going to make the cigarette less attractive, less cool for kids with their peer group and also many kids discourage their parents from smoking, urge them to quit and so these cigarette butts, in an ash tray, with the warnings will provide more information for kids when they have those discussions with their parents,” said Cunningham.

The new warning labels come into effect in stages across Canada.

Tobacco manufactures had until April 30 to ensure every king-size cigarette produced has the new health warning and by January 31, 2025, all regular-size cigarettes produced need them.

As for retailers, they have a bit more time. King-size cigarettes without the new labels can still be sold until July 31 and regular-size cigarettes without the new labels can be sold until April 30, 2025.

However, those familiar with tobacco aren’t convinced these new regulations are going to make a difference for everyone.

“For kids, it probably would be a good deterrent,” said Nathalie Lemire.

“For me, I’ve been a smoker since I was 12, sadly. I’ve made several attempts to quit smoking for my health and I’m still smoking at 48, so those messages for me have not clued in and probably never will.”

She says, while the new images and messages won’t work for her, she did notice them.

“I was in the hospital for a long time, going back into the stores and asking for a pack of cigarettes and seeing one of them was like a preemie baby and I just kind of looked twice like, ‘Oh my god.’ They’re more disturbing than they used to be because we got used to the pictures of the lungs or the emphysema or the guy with a hole in his throat, I remember that from years ago,” she said.

“They’re disturbing. They may work for some people, for me it won't. For kids, I think deterring the kids from smoking, if I could have done that as a child, I wouldn’t be smoking now probably.”

Liam Berry hasn’t seen the new packaging yet since he quit smoking tobacco cigarettes, but he still isn’t convinced they will be effective, especially because tobacco products have always had warnings and they never deterred him in the past.

“I don’t know if it’s worth the time, it’s not probably worth the money that goes into it,” he said.

“I can understand the need for that. They’re just trying to make some type of deterrent for it, it makes sense that people are informed, but I didn’t care when I was smoking tobacco cigarettes.”

These new rules came into effect on August 1, 2023, making Canada the first country in the world to require companies to print a warning on each individual cigarette.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, more than 45,000 Canadian deaths are due to smoking tobacco each year and about 75 per cent of lung cancer deaths are due to smoking tobacco across the country.