What to know
- Canada is rolling out new graphic cigarette package warnings by Aug. 1, featuring 13 updated images that will cover 75 per cent of cigarette packages.
- Health advocates say graphic warnings remain highly effective at reducing smoking because they trigger emotional responses such as fear and disgust, encourage smokers to quit and discourage non-smokers from starting.
- Heart & Stroke Foundation policy specialist Foram Patel said including risks such as heart disease and stroke helps raise awareness about the wide range of health consequences linked to smoking.
- The expert says graphic labels should be paired with other tobacco-control measures to increase effectiveness.
Canada is unveiling a new set of graphic images required to stamp cigarette packages across the country, and one expert says they are a great step towards reducing smoking.
A new set of smoking warnings mandated by Health Canada are set to roll out by Aug. 1, including graphic images such as bloody urine, gangrene, and visible tongue cancer signs.
This is the fourth set of smoking warnings to be established by the agency since 2000 and contains a total of 13 images meant to alert smokers to the harms of tobacco products. According to the regulations, health warnings must cover 75 per cent of the packages’ primary display area, with messages in English and French.
The new set of images is part of Canada’s Tobacco Strategy (CTS), which aims to reduce smoking to less than five per cent of the population by 2035. The agency’s latest progress report suggested that Canada is on track to meet the goal, as tobacco use was estimated to fall to 13 per cent in 2024, while it was at 29 per cent in 2001.
Health advocates condone the new packages
As Canada prepares to roll out the new images, health agencies have been sharing approving messages about the packages.
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) condoned the new warnings, pointing out they’ve been effective in reducing smoking in the past.
“Graphic images cut through the noise. They show the devastating health effects of tobacco instantly, making the warnings far more impactful and more memorable. Rotating to a new set is important to keep warnings fresh and avoid them from becoming stale,” Rob Cunningham, a CCS Senior Policy Analyst said in a statement.
Foram Patel, a Senior Policy Specialist at the Heart & Stroke Foundation, echoed the sentiment, especially as the new images contain warnings about smoking health risks beyond cancer.
“There are two in particular, heart disease and stroke. It was nice to see that alongside cancer, there’s also health warnings around cardiovascular diseases also being disseminated to the population, so they’re aware of all the different diseases that come with smoking,” she told Now Toronto.
Are graphic warnings effective?
As suggested by Health Canada, Patel told Now Toronto graphic warnings in tobacco products have been effective in reducing smoking rates across the country, as they can warn users about risks and discourage them from consuming them.
“They are highly effective because they elicit an emotional response from current smokers. So, be it fear, concern, or disgust, it kind of spurs smokers to take action to think about quitting,” she said.
“The warnings are also not just for current smokers, but also to warn people who might be thinking of starting smoking.”
Although it is not possible to predict for sure whether the new warnings will be enough for Health Canada to meet its 2035 target, Patel said they are effective, especially when combined with other measures.
Other smoking discouraging policies
Graphic warnings are said to be effective, but according to Patel, different levels of government can combine them with other policies to further discourage smoking.
Firstly, the expert said introducing tobacco taxation can discourage young people especially from smoking, as it makes these products more inaccessible.
“Keeping up with tobacco taxation, indexing it to inflation every year, so we are not making it affordable over time,” she said.
In addition, she said increasing the minimum age requirement to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 years might also be highly effective.
In order to discourage people from getting addicted to tobacco, Patel said governments can also help those who are already considering quitting to take the first step by making smoking cessation products more accessible. These include nicotine gums, lozenges, and sprays or medication.
Moreover, the expert said adding warnings similar to vaping products can also be an effective way to reduce not only smoking but also vaping, especially as there seems to be a gap in awareness of the risk of using these products among young people.
“Starting with plain packaging for vaping products would be a highly effective strategy in reducing the glamor and the allure of these vaping products. Then following that with putting warnings on vaping packages that shows that nicotine is highly addictive, and also shows some of the health harm associated with vaping would be highly effective,” she added.
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