Ban wave on flavored cigars in Canada

[Skyline969]

The Conservative government introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at clamping down on the sale and marketing of tobacco products to youths by making it illegal to add flavours to cigarillos and cigarettes.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq introduced an amendment to the federal Tobacco Act she called the Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at Youth Act.

In addition to banning flavours -- such as chocolate and bubble gum -- for cigarillos, cigarettes and blunt wraps (sheets or tubes of tobacco), cigarillos and "blunts" must be sold in packages of 20.

Cigarillos and blunts are often sold individually or in small packs that make them more affordable for young people, according to Aglukkaq.

"These types of marketing strategies have to stop," the health minister told an Ottawa news conference. "Tobacco is not candy and should never be mistaken as such."

If adopted, the legislation would also remove an exception in the Tobacco Act that allows tobacco advertising in some publications that youths may read.

Current guidelines allow tobacco advertising to appear in publications that have an adult readership of at least 85 per cent.

According to the Canadian Lung Association, 37,000 Canadians will die this year from smoking-related diseases, while second-hand smoke will kill about 1,000.

Nineteen per cent of Canadians are smokers, the association says.

"Measures such as the ones announced today, combined with greater access to smoking cessation medications and programs, will ensure we continue to make progress in lowering our rate of smoking in Canada," Nora Sobolov, president and CEO of the Canadian Lung Association, said in a statement.

The proposed legislation is part of the National Lung Health Framework, a government initiative to reduce lung disease in Canada.

"By amending our legislation, we can keep more young people from experimenting with an addictive substance," Agluqqak said. "We can shield them from products that might lay the foundation of what could be a life-long habit with potentially serious health consequences."

Source

 

[prowler]

i never knew there was flavored cigars :S

 

[Hop2089]

i never knew there was flavored cigars :S

They've been around in NA since the 20's and since the 30's in Europe.

 

[Skyline969]

i never knew there was flavored cigars :S

They've been around in NA since the 20's and since the 30's in Europe.

That, and they're amazing. In my opinion, they're much smoother to smoke than unflavored ones. Could just be a placebo effect on me, but that's how it feels to me. Personally, I'm outraged by this ban. Who cares if something tastes "like candy"? Vanilla cigars are amazing! The legal age to purchase tobacco products is 18 (in Saskatchewan anyways...), so instead of banning flavored cigars, why not do something about minors who smoke? If it's such a concern to the government that today's youth is smoking, don't ban something the real adults enjoy, charge the youths who are smoking!

What's next, the government's gonna ban vodka coolers and other various flavored alcoholic beverages because they also taste like candy, and can entice minors to drink?

 

[prowler]

i never knew there was flavored cigars :S

They've been around in NA since the 20's and since the 30's in Europe.

That, and they're amazing. In my opinion, they're much smoother to smoke than unflavored ones. Could just be a placebo effect on me, but that's how it feels to me. Personally, I'm outraged by this ban. Who cares if something tastes "like candy"? Vanilla cigars are amazing! The legal age to purchase tobacco products is 18 (in Saskatchewan anyways...), so instead of banning flavored cigars, why not do something about minors who smoke? If it's such a concern to the government that today's youth is smoking, don't ban something the real adults enjoy, charge the youths who are smoking!

What's next, the government's gonna ban vodka coolers and other various flavored alcoholic beverages because they also taste like candy, and can entice minors to drink?

well said
I don't think they do any of that flavored stuff in England
All i know is menthol and normal ones

 

[Veho]

What's next, the government's gonna ban vodka coolers and other various flavored alcoholic beverages because they also taste like candy, and can entice minors to drink?

Probably

Government "youth protection" measures are like Dilbert strips. Scott Adams says that no matter how ridiculous, insane, bizarre a strip is, the next day he gets a ton of mail saying "ha ha, totally, so true, this happened to me once", etc. etc.

Banning everything certainly is easier and cheaper than trying to enforce regulations, you have to admit.

You know what flavor I like? Blueberry. I was surprised at that, really. I really didn't think I'd like them at all. Weird.

 

[FAST6191]

What's next, the government's gonna ban vodka coolers and other various flavored alcoholic beverages because they also taste like candy, and can entice minors to drink?

I guess you missed out on the whole alcopop thing (age limits normally targeted at spirits made it into law in a couple of European countries (still only 18 years) mind and is "discouraged"* by the powers that be in other places) and going back further into history the bans on gin (for being flavoured) although that was a bit different I guess.

As for the matter at hand we already had the smoking debate not so long ago and to this I am indifferent. I do have to wonder where licorice rolling papers come in though.



*discouraged= your license to sell may run into some unexpected and seemingly insurmountable speedbumps if this and certain other things do not get done.

 

[Skyline969]

Alcopop thing, FAST? I guess I didn't hear about it... primarily because I don't live in the UK.

I don't think we've had something like that in Canada, but I could be wrong.

 

[Shinryuji]

I never got the alcopop fad, it tastes nasty to me. Wiskey any day of the week for me.
As for cigarettes, I have never ever seen flavoured cigarettes in Europe. How odd.

 

[saxamo]

I hate those fuckin grape blunts. Nastyness IMO

 

[Skyline969]

Grape cigars are alright, but I still prefer chocolate, vanilla, or peach. All I know is that I'm gonna buy 'em like they're going out of style... cos they are.

That way, when there are no more in production, I could sell my stock and make some serious cash.