Warnings on every cigarette: extending health messaging to the consumption experience

Abstract

First paragraph: Tobacco use is the leading cause of premature death in Canada and costs $17 billion in health care and indirect economic costs each year. Health Canada has highlighted the need for a novel, multiprong approach to reach its target of less than 5% of the population using tobacco products by 2035. It has dedicated $330 million over the next five years to protecting young people and nonsmokers and helping smokers quit. But more must be done to reduce the appeal of tobacco further and update warning messages. One new idea, recently supported by Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, is to put health warnings on individual cigarettes.