Ottawa moves to ban menthol cigarettes citing appeal to first-time smokers
Posted Apr 29, 2016 06:17:17 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – The federal government has served notice it is moving to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes because of their appeal to young and first-time smokers.
The posting in the latest Canada Gazette starts the clock on a 30-day public comment period.
The government notice says that steering youngsters away from that first cigarette is one of the most effective means of reducing lifetime smokers.
Flavoured tobacco products were banned by the former Conservative government in 2009 but menthol cigarettes were exempted.
The notice from the Health Department notes that a smoking survey in 2012 found that 37 per cent of young smokers reported smoking a menthol cigarette in the previous 30 days.
In 2014, menthol tobacco products made up almost five per cent of the total tobacco market, with menthol cigarettes making up 98 per cent of sales.
