Press Release |
A healthy start to the New YearPhysicians applaud announcement of improved federal regulations to benefit smokers(Ottawa – December 30, 2010) (Ottawa) – Canadian health groups today welcomed the announcement by the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq of forthcoming new regulations on cigarette labelling. “The suite of measures announced today by the federal
Minister of Health will provide smokers with better and
more information, and will help them receive the help
they deserve when they are ready to take the important
step of quitting,” said Dr. Atul Kapur, president of
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada (PSC). “They will
also help prevent the spread of tobacco addiction to new
generations. This is a significant step forward for
public health and for consumer health protection.” Dr. Kapur was responding to the announcement by the
federal Minister of Health that new regulations on
cigarettes and little cigars would be introduced to
increase the size of health warning messages, to expand
the content of warning messages, to improve information
on toxic constituents from tobacco smoke, to expand
information inside cigarette packages, to provide links
to free web-based and telephone cessation services and
to reinforce information from new labelling regulations
with social marketing. “Each of these six areas of labelling reform will
help smokers,” explained Dr. Kapur. “Increasing the size
of the warning to 75% of the front and the back of the
package will help smokers by expanding health
information and reducing promotional tobacco branding,”
he said. “In addition, smokers will receive
information in more interesting, persuasive and
memorable ways.” “The use of colourful and encouraging messages inside
the package is a third improvement to tobacco labelling
that will increase smokers’ confidence in their ability
to quit and their knowledge of how to do so
successfully.” Other reforms announced today included the redesign
of the side-panel information on toxic constituents like
‘tar’ or nicotine. “Tobacco companies’ efforts to
falsely suggest that some brands are less harmful than
others will be significantly curtailed by these
changes,” said Dr. Kapur. “Smokers will particularly benefit from the
innovative approach taken by this government to
coordinate federal regulations with programs supported
by various health ministries,” said Dr. Kapur. Tobacco
companies will be required to print information on each
package to inform smokers where they can access services
offered in their own province or community through a
single telephone number or web-portal. Parallel efforts
using social media will provide smokers with information
targeted to their differing circumstances. “These
innovations should be seen as a model for approaches to
other consumer health issues,” he recommended. Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada is appealing to
all sectors of Canadian society to support the rapid
implementation of the proposed regulations. “These
measures, once in place, will improve the health, length
of life and quality of life for many Canadians,”
predicted Dr. Kapur. Information: |