CDA was pleased with Health Canada’s announcement in September that it will set strict deadlines for tobacco manufacturers and retailers to place new health warnings and information on all cigarette and little cigars packaging.
The new health warnings feature strong, graphic images along with personal stories from people affected by tobacco use, such as the late anti-smoking activist Barb Tarbox. By June 2012, all cigarette and little cigar packages in Canada must feature the new labels.
“The new warning labels should be an effective deterrent to smoking, which will result in better oral health for many Canadians,” notes Andrew Jones, CDA director of public affairs.
CDA has long supported tobacco control initiatives, most notably with its involvement with the Canadian Coalition for Action on Tobacco (CCAT)—a collection of national and provincial health agencies that work together to reduce the consequences of tobacco use in Canada and around the world. CDA is a full-voting member of CCAT and was chair of the coalition in 2008.
A gallery of the updated tobacco packaging health warnings can be viewed at:
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/tobac-tabac/legislation/label-etiquette/cigarette-eng.php