$330 M OVER THE NEXT FIVE
YEARS TO HELP CANADIANS
QUIT SMOKING
In a review of 21 sources, researchers found
a considerable disparity of smoking prevalence
between people who identify at LGBTQ+ and the
rest of the population. heavily against the introduction of plain packaging,
arguing that standardized labelling would lead to
widespread counterfeiting and negatively impact
upon tobacco retailers.
A range between 33 and 45 percent was observed
compared to an average of 18.9 percent for non-
LGBTQ+ people. In response to the proposed introduction of plain
packaging in Canada, Eric Gagnon, head of
corporate and regulatory affairs at Imperial Tobacco
Canada, said:
The explanations for the disparity are many and
complex, encompassing victimization, discrimination
and harassment, high incidence of mental health
problems and historic and pernicious targeted
marketing by the tobacco industry.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Paediatric Society
estimates that smoking rates among Canadian
indigenous groups are at least three-times higher
than their non-indigenous peers.
Much like the LGBTQ+ community, indigenous
peoples are subject to a perfect storm of smoking
indicators, including mental health problems,
gambling addiction, low income and high levels of
alcohol consumption. Indigenous people typically
start smoking from as young as 12.
It’s important to note that tobacco is used ceremonially
among some indigenous communities, though it is
not inhaled, meaning that it is considerably less
harmful than recreational tobacco smoking. Tobacco
Strategy initiatives will focus solely on recreational
users who are subjected to the myriad medical
conditions that befall smokers around the world.
On June 22, Health Canada launched public
consultations on the proposed introduction of
plain and standardized packaging for tobacco
products. The consultations will run until September
6 and members of the public are encouraged to
share their views.
Plain packaging has already been implemented
in more than 15 countries, including the UK,
France and Australia. However, it has not been
without controversy. The tobacco giants lobbied
“We still cannot understand how this government
can justify legalizing marijuana while imposing
such extreme measures on tobacco products. We
feel that the discrepancy is really astonishing.”
While the tobacco industry has questioned the
effectiveness of plain packaging on encouraging
smokers to quit, proponents argue that it succeeds
in its primary goal of reducing the likelihood that
young people take up the habit in the first place.
Seasoned smokers are brand-loyal but young
people, including those under the legal age, are
susceptible to branding. Researched conducted
by ASH in the UK found there was a four-year
increase in the proportion of young people who
felt aware of new pack designs, an increase from
11 percent in 2002 to 18 percent in 2006.
By removing branding altogether, the Tobacco
Strategy’s goal of reducing youth uptake could
be more effectively achieved.
This has been a big year for Canada’s vaping
industry and the Tobacco Strategy and the proposed
implementation of plain packaging could further
help the nation stub out smoking for good.
VMC | 63