Starting Tuesday, new regulations for health warnings on cigarettes will be implemented.

Canada Makes History with New Health Warning Labels on Cigarettes

In a groundbreaking move to deter smoking, Canada has become the first country in the world to require tobacco manufacturers to print health warnings directly on every king-size cigarette produced for sale. The new advisories, which warn of the dangers of smoking in both English and French, are printed on the filter portion of each cigarette and highlight the risks of impotence, leukemia, and organ damage.

The Canadian Cancer Society has praised the new labelling rules, stating that cigarette smoke is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in Canada, killing 46,000 Canadians each year. With one in three cancer deaths attributed to tobacco use, the organization hopes the new warnings will contribute to its goal of reducing smoking rates to 5% by 2035.

Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, believes that the new warnings will prompt important discussions about the risks of smoking, not only among smokers but also among children at home. He emphasizes that different messages will resonate with different people, with some being affected by warnings of impotence while others are impacted by the message of “poison in every puff.”

While the tobacco industry has opposed the new labelling rules, Cunningham remains optimistic about the impact they will have on reducing smoking rates. He also supports raising the federal minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21 and restricting their sale to specialty shops, similar to cannabis.

With Canada leading the way in tobacco control measures, Cunningham hopes that other countries will follow suit in implementing similar regulations to combat the harmful effects of smoking.