The use of tobacco kills 45,000 Canadians annually and the government wants to drive down the proportion of people who smoke from 15 per cent to less than five per cent by 2035.
Smoking starts early
Most Canadians start smoking early in life. Of the current adult daily smokers, 82 per cent had their first puff before the age of 18. In 2018, 115,000 Canadians began smoking cigarettes daily.
Today is World No Tobacco Day and the minister of health marked it by launching the government’s Tobacco Strategy. It aims to help people quit smoking, including those with the highest rates of tobacco use. It promises to “take a pragmatic and compassionate approach to supporting Canadians who already use tobacco, to reduce the negative consequences of nicotine addiction.”
The government will require graphic warning about the effects of smoking on cigarette packages. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Risks for health are numerous
Smoking increases a person’s risk for heart and cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, lung and respiratory problems, impotence and premature death.
In its last budget, the government of Canada set aside $80.5 million to apply its new Tobacco Strategy over the next five years. Part of the strategy involves tougher new packaging laws to highlight the grim consequences of smoking.
There will be measures to help people quit smoking, to protect those who don’t use tobacco and to strengthen science around tobacco use so that decisions can be made based on scientific evidence.
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