Canada implements plain packaging for tobacco products

Canada’s Minister of Health, Ginette Petitpas Taylor has announced that new regulations for plain and standardized appearance of tobacco packages and products will begin to come into force on November 9, 2019.

The text of the official news release reads like this: „Despite decades of effort to reduce tobacco use, it remains the leading preventable cause of premature death and disease in Canada, killing half of all long-term users. More than 4 million Canadians still use tobacco—about 17% of the population. The vast majority of smokers begin smoking by adolescence or young adulthood … Reducing the appeal of tobacco products is an important step toward protecting Canadians, particularly youth, from inducements to using tobacco products and from the consequent dependence on them.“

The Strategy aims to drive down tobacco use to 5% of the Canadian population by 2035. “We have fulfilled our commitment to implement plain packaging requirements for tobacco products. The evidence is overwhelming that plain packaging is an effective way to drive down tobacco use, especially among young people. Reducing the rate of smoking among Canadians is a top priority for us”, says Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health.