Canada Placing Warning Labels on Each Cigarette

What's the story?

• In a public health move to deter young people from smoking and encourage others to quit, Canada has become the first nation in the world to print warnings directly onto each cigarette.
• The warnings will be printed in English and French, and the decision comes in light of a 75-day public consultation period launched in 2022.

What is the impact of smoking in Canada?

• The decision is part of Canada's goal to reduce the smoking rate to less than 5% of the population by 2035. The current smoking rate is about 10%. In 1965, about half of all Canadians smoked.
• Tobacco use currently kills 48,000 Canadians annually.

What will the cigarettes say?

• The cigarettes will include phrases like "Cigarettes cause cancer," "Cigarettes cause impotence," and "Poison in every puff." The phrases will appear by the filter. The warnings will cover how secondhand smoke harms children, damages organs, and causes cancer and leukemia. 
• Health Canada stated that the new regulations "will make it virtually impossible to avoid health warnings" on cigarettes.
• Doctor Robert Schwartz said:

"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."

• The Canadian Cancer Society, Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the Canadian Lung Association have all praised the warning labels as a positive step toward reducing preventable deaths.

When will the changes take effect?

• The regulations went into effect yesterday and will be rolled out next year.
• By July 2024, tobacco manufacturers must ensure that warnings are on all king-size cigarettes sold.
• By April 2025, all regular-size cigarettes and smaller cigars with tipping paper and tubes will be required to feature the warnings.
• A second set of six phrases will be released and printed on cigarettes in 2026.
• Canada has required warning labels on cigarette packages since 1989. In 2000, the government mandated explicit pictorial warnings on all tobacco product packages, the first country to do so.

Should the U.S. do the same?

—Emma Kansiz 

(Photo Credit: Health Canada)