Canadian smokers will notice a new addition to cigarettes starting today.
Smokes sold in stores will now remind you just how bad they are with every puff.
Canada has officially implemented health warnings directly on every individual cigarette, making it the first country in the world to require the labels.
“These new health warnings will be there with every cigarette and every puff, and during every smoke break,” said Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, in a news release.
“The warnings will reach youth who experiment by borrowing cigarettes from a friend. The warnings will reduce smoking and the appeal of cigarettes, and thus prevent cancer and other diseases.”
So, what warnings should smokers expect to read?
There will be six messages in rotation:
- Poison in every puff
- Cigarettes damage your organs
- Cigarettes cause cancer
- Tobacco smoke harms children
- Cigarettes cause impotence
- Cigarettes cause leukemia
CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Society
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, tobacco companies will have until Tuesday, April 30 to ensure that all of their “King Sizes” depict the new warnings.
Retailers will have three additional months, until July 31, to ensure that the smokes have the labels.
Warnings on “regular size” butts will be implemented in January next year at the manufacturer level and April 2025 in stores.
The federal regulations requiring warnings on individual smokes were first announced last May.
Earlier this year, Health Canada also updated warning photos on cigarette packs to be even more graphic.
The Canadian Cancer Society says it expects many countries to follow Canada’s suit and adopt warnings on individual cigarettes, as there are now 138 countries/territories that have required picture warnings on cigarette packages, following the Canadian precedent implemented in 2001.
In fact, Australia has announced that it’s moving forward to require similar health warnings on individual butts.