www.insurancerate.com StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-
Harper Government takes action with larger health warnings on tobacco products - Tough new warning labels take effect today
June 19, 2011
OTTAWA - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and Chris Alexander, Member of Parliament for Ajax-Pickering, announced that, as of today, retailers must only sell cigarette and little cigar packages that display the new, larger health warning messages.
"Today we've fulfilled our promise to put new, larger health warnings on cigarette and little cigar packages across Canada," said Minister Aglukkaq. "This initiative continues our efforts to inform Canadians - especially young people - about the health hazards of smoking."
The bold new health warnings cover three-quarters of the front and back of the main panel package and include a Canada-wide quitline phone number and web address.
"The Heart and Stroke Foundation commends the federal government's continued tobacco reduction efforts, including strong graphic and prominent warnings on tobacco packaging," said Bobbe Wood, President of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. "Becoming smoke-free not only improves the length and quality of your life, but also the lives of those around you."
The quitline connects smokers to free counselling over the phone, provided by their province or territory, to help them quit. The web address allows smokers to access online smoking cessation resources from provincial, territorial and federal government websites.
"Mackenzie and I would never have envisioned the events that are now unfolding," said Pat Tarbox in a statement today. "Barb's message is as loud and clear as ever, and she would have been taken aback at the magnitude of the work being done since her original campaign. We look forward to seeing fewer and fewer youth smokers - just what she wanted."
In 2010, the smoking rate among Canadians aged 15 and older was 17%, an all-time low. The new health warning messages and quitline are part of the Harper Government's ongoing efforts to preserve the gains made in recent years and to continue the downward trend on smoking prevalence.
More information on the new health-related labels can be found on the Health Canada website.
Please also visit our new, updated quit smoking information on the Healthy Canadians website.-30-
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In December 2010, the Harper Government pledged to introduce new, larger health warning messages for cigarettes and little cigars.
That promise has been fulfilled. As of today, tobacco retailers must only sell packages of these products that meet the new health-related labeling requirements.
Following Minister Aglukkaq's announcement in December 2010, Health Canada worked quickly to develop regulations under the Tobacco Act that would implement the new health-related labels.
At the heart of the new regulations are the 16 new health warnings messages, which cover 75% of the front and back panels of packages, up from 50% previously.
Drawing from Health Canada's public opinion research and international studies, the new warnings are intended to better reach people with lower literacy levels, heavy smokers, and people thinking about quitting.
The Tobacco Products Labelling Regulations (Cigarettes and Little Cigars)became law September 2011. To mark the occasion, Minister Aglukkaq held an event at an Ottawa public school with the family of the well-known anti-smoking activist, Barb Tarbox. Ms. Tarbox, who died in 2003 of lung cancer caused by smoking, is featured on two of the new warnings messages.
The regulations provided a transition period for the tobacco industry and retailers to comply with the new health-related labelling requirements, but effective June 19th 2012, all retailers must only sell products with the new labels.
The new labels include:
- 16 new graphic health warning messages covering 75% of the front and back of packaging;
- Messages that focus on diseases associated with tobacco use and stories of Canadians whose health and lives have been negatively affected by tobacco use;
- Eight new health information messages on the inside of packs, enhanced with colour and graphics;
- New and easy-to-understand toxic emissions statements on the sides of packs; and
- A Canada-wide quitline and web address
More information on the new health-related labels can be found on the Health Canada website.
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