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Cancer Warnings To Be Printed On Every Single Cigarette In Canada

Cancer Warnings To Be Printed On Every Single Cigarette In Canada

Smoking in 2018 just got worse once again - might be time to find yourself a new vice

EMS 7

EMS 7

We know by now that smoking cigarettes is not good for us. It causes cancer, it turns our lungs black and it's highly addictive.

Although every single packet is plastered with these warnings alongside gruesome images, in Canada the government is looking into even more extreme measures to get the message across.

In a bid to get people to quit, the country is considering forcing tobacco companies to print health warnings on individual cigarettes.

CTV

Obviously that would mean they'd have to keep the message brief, with one of the most significant ideas being 'smoking causes cancer' or something along those lines.

A government document, as reported by the Sun, stated: "There is recent but limited research showing that health warnings placed directly on a product, such as cigarettes, could be effective in making the product less appealing to users."

Those in support of the initiative hope that the labelling of every single cigarette will add even more pressure on smokers to quit, while also helping authorities to track down illegal cigs making their way in and out of the country.

Apparently this is a huge problem in Canada - the going rate is between £40-65 (US $52-84) for a 200-cigarette carton, but black market packs of the same size have been flogged for just over a tenner.

As such, the government loses tens of millions of dollars and it contributes significantly to organised crime. Meanwhile, figures released by the government show that 45,000 Canadians die of smoking-related problems every year.

So the hope is that the individually labelled cigarettes could kill two birds with one stone, in that they will put people off smoking and help the government to cut down on the output of illegal smokes.

PA

However, anyone who is a smoker in the UK will be well aware that the health warnings and larger pack sizes don't make much of a difference.

The figures of people smoking in the UK are declining, yes, but many argue that this is in spite of the health warnings, not because of them, and is more to do with people adopting healthier lifestyles overall.

Whatever your take on the matter, the debate on how to tackle the issue of smoking is far from over, particularly if Canada adopts the new approach and the UK follows suit.

One thing we are certain of is it sucks to be a smoker in 2018.

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

Topics: World News, Cigarettes, Smoking, Canada