This followed the news that Health Canada would not proceed with its six-year project to update the anti-smoking warnings on cigarette packaging. One of the proposed new images featured anti-smoking advocate Barb Tarbox, whose image is also being tested in focus groups for packaging in the United States.
Yet Health Canada’s Tobacco Control Program, the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy for April 2007 to March 2011, will soon be under evaluation. The following represent its goals for the timeframe.
- Reduce smoking overall from 19 per cent to 12 per cent
- Reduce number of youth who smoke from 15 per cent to 9 per cent
- Reduce number of Canadians exposed to second-hand smoke from 28 per cent to 20 per cent
- Increase number of Canadians who quit by 1.5 million
According to statistics compiled by Alberta Health Services, in 2009, one in 14 men and one in 16 women have a lifetime probability of developing lung cancer.
