this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2023
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Canada will be the first nation to start printing warnings directly onto individual cigarettes in a bid to deter young people from starting smoking and encourage others to quit.

The warnings, which will be in English and French, will include phrases like "Cigarettes cause cancer" and "Poison in every puff".

The new regulations go into effect on Tuesday.

Starting next year, Canadians will begin to see the new warning labels.

By July 2024 manufacturers will have to ensure the warnings are on all king-size cigarettes sold, and by April 2025 all regular-size cigarettes and little cigars with tipping paper and tubes must include the warnings.

The phrases will appear by the filter, including warnings about harming children, damaging organs and causing impotence and leukaemia.

In May, Health Canada said the new regulations "will make it virtually impossible to avoid health warnings" on tobacco products.

A second set of six phrases is expected to be printed on cigarettes in 2026.

The move is part of Canada's effort to reduce tobacco use to less than 5% by 2035 and follows a 75-day public consultation period that was launched last year.

Canada has required the printing of warning labels on cigarette packages since 1989 and in 2000 the country adopted pictorial warning requirements for tobacco product packages.

Health Canada said it plans to expand on warnings by printing additional warning labels inside the packages themselves, and introducing a new external warning messages.

Dr Robert Schwartz, of the University of Toronto, told BBC News it was good news that Canada was "moving forward with this innovation".

"Health warnings on individual cigarettes will likely push some people who smoke to make a quit attempt and may prevent some young people from starting to smoke," he said.

He also pointed to New Zealand, which has introduced very low nicotine cigarettes, as a leader in limiting the use of tobacco.

Mr Schwartz added: "These are the kinds of measures needed if we are serious about decreasing tobacco use."

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

"Tobacco use continues to be one of Canada's most significant public health problems, and is the country's leading preventable cause of disease and premature death in Canada," Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has previously said.

The Canadian Cancer Society, Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Lung Association have all praised the warning labels, saying they hope the measures will deter people, especially young people, from taking up smoking in the first place.

Cigarette smoking is widely regarded as a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke.

In Canada, the rate of smokers aged 15 years or older is around 10%, according to a national 2021 Tobacco and Nicotine survey but electronic cigarette use has been on the rise.

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[–] zurchpet@lemmy.ml 54 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Back when I was a smoker they could have written on them that it kills a baby every time i take a puff.

I would not have cared.

[–] pec@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They article mention it's more about discouraging teens from starting smoking than making current smokers quit.

It kind of make sense since you start smoking by receiving a single cigarette not by buying a pack. I know at my high school a lot of smokers started smoking by buying individual smoke from the smoke pusher

[–] Rodeo@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Too bad they don't require this for alcohol.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I laugh about the flavored vape bans "think of the children, only a child would want a fruity or sweet vape" Then you walk into a liqour store and there is now literally "Hard Mountain Dew" "Sunny D Vodka Seltzer" and "Fresca Mixed". It's disgusting, alcohol is like the 3rd or 4th leading cause of death and you hear diddly about it. Commercial comes on and they pour a nice 10 ounce glass of "insert whiskey" followed briefly by "Drink Responsibly" in 8pt font.

[–] UnverifiedAPK@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Tbf Mountain Dew was originally made to be a mixer with whiskey. They're just cutting out the middle man now.

[–] matlag@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] zurchpet@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

True.

What would have keept me most from starting to smoke would have been the price.

I mean. A pack of cigarettes is now around 8 swiss francs. Was half that when I started.

I am not sure wether it would be worth that much money for me back when I started when it would have been already as expensive as it is today.

Luckily I found vaping to get me of nicotine. And then stopped all together when I lost my vape pen.

[–] cnnrduncan@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah here in NZ nobody who smokes really pays attention to the graphic photos of sick children and diseased organs that they put on (legal) packets.

[–] fomo_erotic@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

Seems like you could market a line with even worse statements on it:

"This cigarette kills babies"

[–] Yerbouti@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

At that point, let's just force people to smoke in specific areas where they are forced to listen to Nickelback.

[–] Hyperi0n@lemmy.film 5 points 1 year ago

People who smoke are the type of people who like Nickelback.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Bold of them to assume smokers want to live.

[–] Hyperi0n@lemmy.film 2 points 1 year ago

Smoking is like hiring a hitman for 5 dollars a day.

[–] Dubious_Fart@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Watch the ink used for the printing cause a spike in cancer rates.

[–] matlag@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 year ago

Just add it to the list: "The ink used to print this warning is toxic"

[–] UnverifiedAPK@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hopefully Canada's smart enough to use food-grade ink.

[–] Dubious_Fart@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

eeehhh..

15 years ago I wouldnt have any doubt about that.

Today? Eeeeehhhhh....

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[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If you don't want people smoking, just grow some testicles and ban it. You'll probably take a hit in popularity at the next election and lose some money in tax revenue, but people will swap to vapes and you'll save a load of money on lung cancer treatments and street sweepers.

At this point everyone is well aware that they're bad for you. More warnings isn't going to do a thing. Nobody is going to get one of these new printed ones and go "Oh, I didn't know that!" and stop.

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[–] dingus@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Never Knows Best.

[–] Millie@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There's no way the ink doesn't make them even worse. I've always loved Canada's over the top approach to visually discouraging smoking by hijacking half the pack with a picture. My favorite when I smoked cigarettes was the one with the kids giving you a judgemental look.

Given the numbers in this article, though, I'm not sure how well it's working.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Even if it does, I doubt it's very noticeable against the background terribleness.

[–] Millie@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

One could say the same of the ambient air in much of Canada lately, but I don't think pouring ink on the trees would better the situation.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 year ago

Oh yes, the forest fires are terrible for that and other reasons. Stop burning fossil fuels everybody.

[–] Hyperi0n@lemmy.film 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

All of what Canada is doing(removing flavored cigarettes, removing logos and designs on packaging, banning advertising, warning labels on package and now the cigarettes) is to discourage teen smoking.

It's working. Less and less teens are smoking(27% in the 90s, 14% in 2008, 5% in 2019 amd 3% in 2020).

In fact smoking is down across the board.

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canadian-tobacco-nicotine-survey/2020-summary.html

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[–] Pixlbabble@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wait so you're smoking the ink too? OR is it more waste of paper over the cigarette?

[–] BotCheese@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

from what i understand its only on the filter, which isnt meant to be smoked. (i think? never smoked)

[–] UnverifiedAPK@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

Well that goes in your mouth still, but I guess it's not as bad as burning it.

[–] pec@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Looks like it fits on the filter

[–] Fazoo@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If putting diseased lungs on cartons and boxes didn't do it, what the fuck makes them think this will? Such a waste of time. Lol

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[–] jerkface@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago

If only they took heart disease this seriously.

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