Once again, it's that time of year. The warm days of spring, which signal the start of soccer, baseball, and yard work have arrived. Now before you get lost in thoughts of hammocks and hamburgers, I would like to remind you of an important date:
Tuesday, May 31 is World No Tobacco Day
It's no secret that tobacco use is dangerous to your health. In fact, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and illness in Canada. For World No Tobacco Day 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) is focusing on plain packaging for tobacco products.
Plain packaging works for many reasons. According to the WHO, plain packaging reduces the appeal of tobacco products. In addition, it takes away potential marketing space for tobacco producers. It also limits misleading labelling and makes health warnings more effective.
If you think about it, it makes sense. We're constantly being bombarded by advertising and at one time it was the same with tobacco products. Bans on advertising tobacco products on television and in print have helped lower the rates of tobacco use. Now there's evidence that plain packaging can be effective as well.
A study in Europe found that the use of plain packaging combined with health warnings increased awareness about the health risks of tobacco use. In particular, using large "picture" type warnings coupled with plain packaging was very effective. The study also found that people were encouraged to quit using tobacco when this combination was used.
So, what's Canada doing about plain packaging?
The government of Canada has confirmed its dedication to introducing plain packaging requirements for tobacco products. This could include bans on brand colors, logos and graphics as part of these requirements. To start the process, the Public Health Agency of Canada is looking into a cost-benefit analysis for plain packaging of tobacco products.
Interest in plain packaging is also increasing all around the world:
- Australia was the first country to implement plain packaging in December 2012.
- Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and France all passed plain packaging laws. These laws will take effect this month.
- A number of other countries are considering the adoption of plain packaging laws.
The WHO's goal for World No Tobacco Day is to highlight the role of plain packaging as part of a comprehensive approach to tobacco control and support countries as they require plain packaging for tobacco products.
As a Tobacco Reduction Coordinator and father of a teenager, I think that anything that makes tobacco less attractive is worth pursuing. Perhaps we should take a page out of the tobacco control book from Australia.
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