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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Conservatives kick off return to House with new call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives returned to the House of Commons on Tuesday with a renewed call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign, this time over 'very partisan' and 'inflammatory' language used to promote an upcoming event.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
How much more Canadian consumers are paying, compared to this time last year
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended war crimes charges in Israel-Hamas war
Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended that the chief prosecutor of the world's top war crimes court seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of the militant Hamas group.
Flight PS752 victims' families say they're not sorry to hear of Iran president death
Members of a Canadian group representing families of those killed when Iranian officials shot down Flight PS752 in January 2020 say they are not sorry to hear of the death of Iran's president.