Regional youth say cancer shouldn't come in candy

News Release

Cancer shouldn’t come in candy flavours or wrapping, which is why Northwestern Ontario youth are calling for a ban on all flavoured tobacco products in Canada as part of National Non-Smoking Week (January 15 to January 21).
“Tobacco products continue to be marketed to youth in affordable and colourful packaging,” said Catherine Kiewning, a youth advocate and an original organizer of Flavour... GONE. “The flavours are only one more way to entice youth in to trying tobacco products, without them there would be less youth interested in the products. That is why we are asking the government for a full ban on flavoured tobacco industry products”.
Flavour...GONE first launched in July of 2008 and was instrumental in the creation of the Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at Youth Act. The Act went into effect in July 2010 and banned cigarillos (mini-cigars) and provided other tobacco control measures.
The legislation was a step in the right direction, but loopholes within it have allowed the tobacco industry to introduce products substantially similar in nature to cigarillos, allowing the tobacco industry to get around the law and continue to market flavoured tobacco products. These new products are known as little cigars and are slightly heavier in weight than traditional cigarillos and no longer contain a filter. The Act also failed to include flavoured smokeless tobacco products like chew, which has been growing in popularity among Canadian youth since 2005.
“Tobacco products are highly addictive and dangerous. The youth working on this issue want to see a stop to tobacco industry products that are packaged more and more to look like candy, smell like candy and taste like candy,” said Roberta Lappage, adult support for Flavour... GONE. “Flavour...GONE! is calling on all youth, parents and elected officials to support closing the legislative loopholes currently being exploited by the tobacco industry. The youth are tired of being a target of the tobacco industry”
The dangers presented by flavoured tobacco for Canadian youth are amplified by that fact that they do not contain warning labels like cigarettes. Under the international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) all tobacco products must carry a large, clear, visible and legible health warning that covers at least 30 per cent of the products principal display area. Canada ratified these standards in 2004, but no health warnings are yet required on cigars that are sold in single units in Canada. Pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco and cigars sold in packages also fail to meet the minimum outlined in the FCTC standards.
Flavour...GONE is encouraging all Canadian youth, parents and the federal government to learn more about the seriousness of flavoured tobacco and to make the right decision by supporting legislation that removes flavoured products from Canadian shelves. To find out how you can support Flavour... Gone visit -www.flavourgone.ca
About Flavour GONE
Flavour...GONE, is non-partisan youth-led initiative calling for the federal government to use its authority to counter the negative marketing tactics of the tobacco industry by banning all flavoured tobacco in Canada. The group first launched in July 2008 and was instrumental in bringing about the creation of the Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at Youth Act (Bill C-32), which resulted in several tobacco control measures, but which did not go far enough to protect Canadian youth. The tobacco industry has exploited loopholes within the Act that now need to be closed. This can be achieved by banning all existing and future flavoured tobacco in Canada. For more information visit - www.flavourgone.ca