For the first time in the world, Canada is putting a warning on every cigarette, not just the packaging

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Addiction Minister Carolyn Bennett says the measure is aimed at reaching more people, including young people who often share cigarettes and do not collide with the packaging

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June 10, 2022 • 10 hours ago • 1 minute reading • 104 comments A pedestrian walks through Bloor Street while holding a lighted cigarette in Toronto, December 2019. Photo by Peter J Thompson

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Canada is poised to become the first country in the world to require a warning to be printed on every cigarette.

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Addiction Minister Carolyn Bennett says the measure aims to reach more people, including young people who often share cigarettes and do not collide with the packaging.

A 75-day consultation period begins tomorrow.

Bennett also unveiled extended warnings about cigarette packaging, which include a longer list of health effects of smoking.

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Canada has required warnings for photos since the beginning of the millennium, but the images have not been updated in a decade.

Rob Cunningham, a senior political analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, notes that Canada has also set a precedent by requiring photo warnings, with other countries following suit.

He says he hopes the warnings printed on the cigarettes themselves will be strengthened internationally.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 10, 2022.