Canada will soon become the first country in the world where it will be mandatory to print a warning message on every single cigarette regarding the health risks of smoking. An initiative that confirms the North American country as a pioneer and leader in initiatives for awareness on the damage of tobacco.
In fact, it was Canada that was the first to launch the photo shock campaign on cigarette packets about two decades ago, marking an international trend. And this new initiative follows in the same vein, Ottawa confirms.
“We have to worry that those messages may have lost their novelty effect and therefore we fear that in some sense they have lost in intensity in the impact,” explained Canadian Minister for Mental Health and Addiction, Carolyn Bennett, quoted from the Guardian. The transition period begins today and the Canadian government has anticipated that definitive changes could be adopted in the second half of 2023.