Vapouround Magazine Canada VMC ISSUE 1 | Page 63

$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