Canada's new rule puts health warnings on each cigarette butt
Canada is introducing a world-first regulation that puts individual health warnings on every cigarette that is being sold. The warning labels include "cigarettes cause cancer," and impotence; "tobacco smoke harms children," and that there is "poison in every puff." These warnings are expected to come on king-size cigarettes within a year and on regular-size cigarettes by early 2025.
Tobacco claims 48,000 lives in Canada every year
Canada was the first to introduce graphic warnings on cigarette packs—pictures of damaged lungs, heart—in 2000. Although smoking rates have declined over the past two decades, tobacco use still claims 48,000 Canadian lives annually. Substance use contributes to nearly half of the country's healthcare costs. The new regulations are part of a broader strategy to further decrease smoking rates in Canada.
Canada aims to reduce smoking population from 13% to 5%
It's observed certain young people start smoking after receiving a single cigarette as opposed to receiving them in packs carrying health warnings. Canada hopes to lower the number of smokers, from the current 13% to 5%, or about two million people, by 2035. To support its objective, the Canadian government may also consider measures like increasing tobacco taxes or investing in smoking cessation programs.
