New Law Protects Children From Tobacco
June 29, 2010
Ontario is banning the sale of flavoured cigarillos to make them less accessible, less affordable, and less attractive to young people. Read the entire news release.
Additional Quotes:
“We are very grateful to the Ontario government for passing legislation that protects young Canadians from dangerous novelty tobacco products like cigarillos. In terms of addiction and other health effects, these products are as dangerous as cigarettes and have the added risk of being ‘starter’ products for young Canadians and people who might otherwise never have become smokers,” says Dr. Marco Di Buono, Director of Research for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. “While this Bill goes a long way in protecting youth from the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics, we advise the government to be vigilant in monitoring the industry’s production of new tobacco novelty products that attempt to circumvent the current legislation.”
"Cigarillos are a clear effort by the tobacco industry to target youth and are a threat to the health of our young people. We applaud this new bill as a great example of how all political parties can take action to protect the health of our youth. Recent news of the tobacco industry's efforts to alter products like these, in an effort to circumvent the law, illustrates the need for all of us to be vigilant," said George Habib, President and CEO of the Ontario Lung Association.
Learn More
- Backgrounder: Creating A Smoke-Free Ontario
- Backgrounder: Smoke-Free Ontario - Actions and Health Effects
- Learn more about Ontario's Smoke-Free Strategy and the Ontario government's youth-focused tobacco programs:
Wendy Vincent, Minister’s Office, 416-326-8497
Julie Rosenberg, Communications, 416-326-4833
