Response to new Canadian plans to put health warning on cigarette sticks

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) congratulates Canada on putting health warnings on cigarette sticks. These ‘dissuasive cigarettes’ were first proposed under the Thatcher administration in the 1970s by the health minister Sir George Young. [1] The Government had a recent opportunity to support dissuasive cigarettes when Lord Young tabled a Private Members Bill [2] to introduce the measure in 2021 but did not.

The measure was rejected in the 1970s following pressure from the tobacco industry who claimed the ink would be toxic despite the more than 70 cancer causing chemicals in cigarette smoke.

Lord Young says:
“I congratulate Canada on being the first to take forward this sensible public health measure and I urge our Government to follow suit. When I proposed it in the 1970s it was a reasonable and proportionate response to a lethal product. This remains the case more than 40 years later.”

Hazel Cheeseman, Deputy Chief Executive of ASH said:
“Warnings on cigarette sticks and papers would reinforce the message to smokers about the harms. Particularly children who are more likely to be given a cigarette than adult smokers and hence avoid the health warnings on packs.”

An online survey in March 2021 by YouGov for ASH [3] of over 12,000 adults in Great Britain aged 18+ asked respondents, “How strongly, if at all, would you support or oppose health warnings printed on cigarette sticks to encourage smokers to quit.”

70% of those surveyed supported this proposal, two thirds of them strongly. Only 8% opposed the proposal with the remainder answering that they neither supported nor opposed the proposal (18%), or don’t know (4%).

Notes
[1] Tobacco Reporter coverage of the Bill: https://tobaccoreporter.com/2021/06/16/u-k-bill-calls-for-health-warnings-on-individual-cigarettes/

[2] Lord Young’s speech during debate on his 2021 Private Members Bill: https://policymogul.com/parliamentary-record/hansard-content/25680/cigarette-stick-health-warnings-bill-hl-

[3] Total sample size was 12,247 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18th February - 18th March 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).