Canada moves ahead with plan to ban menthol-flavoured tobacco products
Posted Nov 4, 2016 9:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Canada appears to be playing catch-up with Alberta on the menthol-flavoured smoking front as it looks to ban certain products.
Health Canada announced Friday a proposed order that would amend the Tobacco Act to ban the use of menthol in cigarettes, blunt wraps and most cigars sold on the Canadian market.
It was earlier this year, back in May that they had wrapped up a 30-day consultation period with stakeholders and the general public, where they found reaction was mostly supportive of this move.
It builds on changes that were made back in 2009 and 2015 that banned certain additives.
The changes they’re announcing now would prohibit menthol all together by manufacturers looking to improve the taste and appeal of their product.
“Every year, tens of thousands of Canadians die from preventable diseases that can be directly linked to smoking. Research shows that the best way to prevent these deaths is to stop people from smoking in the first place, especially when they’re young. By moving forward on this proposed ban on menthol, alongside the existing flavours ban for tobacco products, we are taking another important step in the fight against youth smoking,” said Health Minister Jane Philpott in a statement.
Alberta banned menthol-related products within its borders back on September 30, 2015.
