Students Light Up Despite Antis Update
McGuinty Liberals unlikely to back Tory’s smoking bill -ON
Oct. 06 2010 4:26:44 PM
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Ontario is unlikely to criminalize teen smoking despite a private member’s bill that would make it illegal for people under age 19 to smoke or possess cigarettes.
Such bills rarely become law, and the Liberal government strongly hinted Wednesday it would use its majority to defeat the proposal.
Progressive Conservative Gerry Martiniuk of Cambridge introduced the bill, but even he admitted the best course of action would be to lower taxes to eliminate illegal cigarettes.
“I am concerned with the low price of illegal tobacco, a problem which we are all aware is making smoking affordable for our young people to experiment with,” said Martiniuk.
“The sale of these illegal cigarettes is largely in the hands of organized crime, and they are targeting our young people and, by the way, with other illegal drugs to sell.”
Even though it’s illegal in Ontario to sell cigarettes to people under age 19, the law doesn’t prevent them from smoking.
The best alternative to outlawing teen smoking would be to eliminate illegal cigarettes and the province could do that by lowering tobacco taxes — as it did 10 years ago, said Martiniuk.
Fellow Conservative Toby Barrett said illegal smoke shacks have been set up on Ontario government land along Highway 6 in his Haldimand-Norfolk riding, and are known to sell to local kids.
“It’s not uncommon for local people to see young people visit that particular smoke shack and ride back with a bag of rollies or cigarettes on the handlebars of their bicycles,” said Barrett.
“If this government would crack down on illegal cigarettes I feel that this particular bill would perhaps be unnecessary.”
It doesn’t make sense that it’s illegal to sell cigarettes to people under age 19 but the law doesn’t prevent them from smoking, said Martiniuk.
“Just as it’s illegal for a person under 19 to possess or consume alcohol, I believe this same age group should be prohibited from possessing or using tobacco products,” he said.
“I am committed to exploring ways of reducing the incidence of smoking among our young people, and hope this bill will prevent them from developing a life-long addiction to nicotine.”
Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best indicated Wednesday that the Liberal government would not back Martiniuk’s bill.
“We want to ensure that they don’t start to smoke in the first place, and we do not want to criminalize the young people, that is definitely not our intent,” said Best.
“We want adults to take responsibility for ensuring that children are armed with the knowledge of how dangerous it is for them to smoke.”
The Ontario Convenience Stores Association said it fully supports Martiniuk’s bill, calling a ban on young people smoking long overdue.
“Kids shouldn’t be allowed to obtain, possess or use tobacco. It’s just that simple,” said Association spokesman David Bryans.
“Right now, Ontario laws in this area make no sense whatsoever.”
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak also refused to endorse Martiniuk’s bill, saying he never interferes in private member business and let’s his caucus vote freely on such measures.
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Teen smoking ban focus of Ont. private bill -ON
CBC News
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 | 5:47 PM ET Comments97 Recommend22
An Ontario Tory MPP introduced a private member’s bill in Queens Park in Toronto Wednesday that would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 19 to smoke cigarettes.
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Youth smoking rates dropping: StatsCan
By QMI Agency
Last Updated: September 27, 2010 11:25pm
Fewer young people are smoking, according to new statistics released Monday.
According to StatsCan, about 13% of teens between the ages of 15 and 19 smoked in 2009, down from 15% in 2008. As well, 23% of adults between 20 and 24 smoked in 2009, down from 27% from the previous year.
Overall smoking rates remain unchanged in recent years, but have dropped significantly over the last decade.
Of all respondents over 15, 18% reported smoking in 2009. That rate has remained consistent since 2005, but has dropped 7% since 1999.
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Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) 2009
CTUMS – 11 Years of Data, 11 Years of Progress
During the past 11 years 1999-2009, CTUMS has reported a decline in the overall current smoking rate among Canadians aged 15 years and older from 25% in 1999 to 18% in 2009. The population aged 15 years and older increased by about 3.1 million Canadians, the number of current smokers has decreased by 1.3 million, former smokers increased by 1.3 million and never smokers increased by 3.4 million. Overall, we saw the population increase by about 14% while ever smokers (current and former combined) did not change.
Butt ban for teens?
By JONATHAN JENKINS, QUEEN’S PARK BUREAU
18th January 2010
Convenience stores want teenagers banned from possessing tobacco, a call timed to coincide with National Non-Smoking Week.
“It does work for alcohol,” said Wendy Kadlovski, chair of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association.
“You don’t see kids walking down the street with a bottle of beer. We’re just saying there’s a parallel here with alcohol and tobacco.”
Kadlovski said retailers already do 100,000 age checks every day to keep teens from buying smokes.
But in part because of that vigilance, kids are turning away from legal tobacco sellers and finding contraband smokes — which make up about half of all the cigarettes in Ontario — making it much harder to stop teens from smoking before they begin, she said.
“We are diligent about selling tobacco only to the age of majority. Our concern is that tobacco does find its way into the hands of youths through non-traditional, social sources,” Kardlovski said.
High taxes on legal cigarettes have helped to make smuggled smokes increasingly popular — especially with younger smokers.
An outright ban on youngsters possessing tobacco has been dismissed by Premier Dalton McGuinty as recently as last September.
“You’ve got a 13-year-old that’s smoking. If you’re the mom or the dad, you’ve got a responsibility to act on that,” he said at the time.
Ontario has already banned convenience stores from displaying the cigarettes they sell and made it illegal to smoke in a car while children are inside.
Smoking amongst students in Grade 7 to Grade 12 is now at its lowest level since 1977, a statement from the ministry of health promotion said.
“This government has done more than any previous Ontario government to address the harm caused by tobacco use,” Minister Margarett Best said in the statement.
“We will continue to work with our partners to encourage young people not to smoke; protect people from second-hand smoke; and help smokers quit. I congratulate all those who have quit smoking and would ask them to encourage any family or friends who smoke to quit as well.”
Anti-smoking brigade out of control
Letter
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Really, the anti-smoking brigade has gone from having a valid point, namely that smoking is bad for one’s health, to being a bunch of whining, effete, moral crusaders.
First, studies demonstrating health risks for those exposed to second-hand smoke, never rock-solid science to begin with, were based on people working eight hours in closed, poorly ventilated spaces where heavy smoking went on continuously. The health risks of second-hand smoke in the open air are so infinitesimal that it would be better to worry about the heavy metals and particulate matter spewing from the exhausts of cars on streets next to the terrasses.
Second, and more important, notice the immediate response of these people to their perceived problem: legislation. Yes, by all means, let’s give the Quebec government one more excuse for tightening its stranglehold on society. In this regard, anti-smokers represent more of a threat to society than smokers do.
Pierre Trudeau famously said “the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.” If only there were more Canadians who believed there were limits on what the state should be allowed to do.
John Purdy
Montreal
‘Candy-coated tobacco’ targeted
April 01, 2008
Sean Myers, Calgary Herald
Anti-smoking group says teens at risk
Anti-smoking activists want the province to ban the sale of small fruit-flavoured cigarillos they say are “candy-coated tobacco” that target teen smokers.
“The packaging looks like lip gloss and they come in flavours like peach, wild berry and vanilla, which masks the harshness of the tobacco,” said Robyn Hauck, a spokeswoman for Action on Smoking. “There’s a whole variety of flavours and they’re cheap, too.”
The results of the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey for the first half of 2007 showed 15 per cent of youth aged 15 to 19 were smokers — nearly half the number reported in 1999.
(picture) Danielle Peters, who works at Family Foods in Mayland Heights, says while cigarillos are popular, she hasn’t noticed many young customers buying them. Jenelle Schneider, Calgary Herald
In the same age group, 31 per cent had reported trying a little cigar or cigarillo, and 12 per cent said they’d smoked one within the past 30 days of the survey.
Local stores in Calgary sell cigarillos for $1 to $2 each, depending on the brand. And they don’t have the health warning labels required on packages of cigarettes.
Danielle Peters, who manages the cigarette counter at Family Foods in Mayland Heights, says cigarillos are popular, but she hasn’t noticed a lot of young customers buying them.
“It’s usually people who don’t have any money on them who buy them and they’re a bit older,” said Peters. “The younger people usually go for the cheaper packs of regular cigarettes.”
Anyone who looks under 25 has to show ID to buy tobacco, and only those over 18 are allowed to make a purchase.
Jack Kruschke, a 13-year-old junior high student, says the sweet-flavoured cigarillos are popular at his school and they’re usually bought by older siblings.
“I have a lot of friends who smoke them,” said Kruschke, who doesn’t smoke himself. “They say they taste good. There’s not a lot of kids smoking cigarettes, but Prime Times are really popular.”
Prime Time cigarillos come in a range of flavours including strawberry, chocolate and kiwi.
A woman who answered the phone at the company that makes Prime Time products said teens are not targeted in the marketing for its tobacco products.
Robert Best, a spokesman for the Citizens Freedom Alliance, an international tobacco lobbyist, said the move to ban cigarillos is part of larger push to remove choice from adults.
“We don’t promote youth smoking, nobody does,” he said. “This is just part of a larger effort to ban all tobacco. We believe adults should be free to choose whether they want to smoke and what they want to smoke.”
New Democrat MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis plans to introduce a private member’s bill requiring the mini-cigars to be packaged and labelled under the same regulations as cigarettes.
Under Alberta’s Tobacco Reduction Act, all retail displays of tobacco will be prohibited as of July 1.
“Banning tobacco flavourings may be a future step in strengthening tobacco reduction policy in Alberta, but is not currently being considered,” said Howard May of Alberta Health and Wellness.
Teens turning to prescription painkillers, survey finds
November 21, 2007
Jordana Huber, CanWest News Service
TORONTO – While alcohol still remains the substance of choice among Canadian teens, a new study in Ontario released Tuesday shows use of prescription painkillers is a growing cause for concern.
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, 21 per cent of students surveyed about their drug use revealed they had tried a prescription pain medication for non-medical purposes at least once in the past year.
More than 75 per cent of teens reported getting the pills from home.
Doug Beirness, manager of research and policy for the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse said Ontario’s youth opioid statistics are the first of their kind in Canada but should serve as a wake-up call across the country. An opioid is a chemical substance that has a morphine-like action in the body and is used for pain relief.
He said past surveys conducted nationally only asked about the opioid painkiller OxyContin and showed about one per cent of students had tried the drug.
“I think it sounds a warning,” said Beirness. “This really is opening our eyes to a whole other area that clearly wasn’t on our radar before.”
He also said parents should be aware of the new statistics about where students are getting prescription drugs and should take steps to safeguard the accessibility of medications in their homes.
Benedikt Fischer, a director at the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C., said it should not come as a shock that the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey found more young people are using opioids because there has been a sharp increase in the non-medical use of prescription painkillers among the general population in Canada over the past 10-15 years.
But he cautioned that while the statistics about young people using opioids may seem alarming, the data could be misleading.
“A mother may give her son, who has a migraine, a Tylenol No. 3 or a Percocet, and it might be for very legitimate reasons,” said Fischer. “But it is still non-medical use because it has not been prescribed by a doctor for this specific reason.”
Still, there is no reason to assume Ontario’s prevalence rates are any different than other provinces because the same environmental factors and availability exist equally across the country, Fischer said.
The survey also noted though significant attention has been paid to crystal methamphetamine, it has not become a problem in the student population.
What does remain a concern is the number of students driving while drunk or high.
Nova Scotia also released the findings of a student drug survey Tuesday, which revealed 16 per cent of high school students in Grades 7, 9, 10 and 12 are smoking cigarettes, down from 24 per cent in 2002.
Comparatively, 12 per cent of student surveyed in Ontario reported smoking cigarettes down from nearly 15 per cent in 2005.
Across the country, smoking rates among teens have been falling but still range anywhere from 14 per cent to 27 per cent, according to the CCSA.
Beirness said the statistics would be helpful in shaping a five-year, $10-million youth anti-drug strategy announced in October.
The CCSA strategy is set to include a media campaign to promote positive and healthy choice lifestyles as well as the first-ever set of national standards for the design and delivery of prevention programs.
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2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS)
Drug and Alcohol Use Stabilizes, but Prescription Pain Relievers Emerge as a Concern
Canada’s longest running school survey reveals surprising data on Ontario Youth
For Immediate Release – November 20, 2007 (TORONTO) – While alcohol, cannabis and other drug use among Ontario teens has remained stable or decreased, the misuse of prescription opioid drugs may be a cause for concern according to the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS). These surprising data are the first comprehensive Canadian survey results on non-medical use of prescription opioid pain relievers.
Released by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) today, OSDUHS found that 21% of Ontario students in grades 7 to 12 report using prescription opioid pain relievers such as TYLENOL No. 3and Percocet for non-medical purposes; and almost 72% report obtaining the drugs from home. In addition, among all drugs asked about, OxyContin was the only drug to show a significant, but small, increase in non-medical use since the last survey (2% of students reported using it in 2007, representing about 18,100 students, versus 1% in 2005).
Generally, the lack of increase in the use of other drugs is encouraging and may reflect the health promotion initiatives that have been taken over the years. “The reasons for the increase in OxyContin use are currently unknown, and we need to monitor this finding to determine whether it is a real trend or a one-time finding. However, the finding that 72% of the student users report obtaining the drugs from home suggests that some intervention with families might be appropriate,” said Louis Gliksman, Acting Chief of Research at CAMH and spokesperson for the study.
Alcohol remains students’ drug of choice. Almost two-thirds (61%) of all students drink alcohol. Binge drinking (consuming at least 5 drinks on the same occasion) still remains high, as approximately 26% of students are likely to engage in this behaviour. The proportion of all students who may be drinking hazardously (defined as a risky pattern of alcohol use that increases the likelihood of physical, psychological, or social problems) is at 19% and has not changed since 2005.
While the study shows a general decline in illicit drug use over the past decade, 26% of students reported using cannabis at least once in the past year. Among all students, 14% reported using cannabis six times or more during the past year. Also, more students with a driver’s licence report driving after using cannabis than after using alcohol (16% versus 12% respectively). The proportion of students reporting riding in a vehicle with a driver who had been using drugs declined since the last survey, but still remains elevated at 18%.
More encouraging news was revealed in the data on smoking. Only a small minority (5%) of all students report smoking on a daily basis, and 72% report never having tried a cigarette in their lifetime. The prevalence of daily smoking has been declining since the late 1990s, and the 2007 rate is the lowest on record since monitoring began in 1977. However, there is still a significant percentage of students (12% or about 119,900 students) that do smoke either occasionally or daily.
“This survey indicates that it is the legal drugs–alcohol and prescription opioids–that are being used by Ontario’s youth today, and our governments’ efforts to address substance use among youth need to be in synch with that reality if we want to improve the health of our young people,” said Gail Czukar, CAMH’s VP of Policy, Education and Health Promotion.
Other survey highlights include:
• In addition to use of prescription opioid pain relievers, 2007 is also the first year that students were asked about their use of over-the-counter sleeping medication (4%), Jimson Weed (3%), and the non-medical use of attention deficient/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs (1%).
• Despite recent attention on methamphetamine (‘speed’) and crystal methamphetamine (‘crystal meth’), there is no evidence that either drug has diffused into the student population in Ontario. In fact, past year use of methamphetamine significantly decreased between 2005 (2%) and 2007 (1%).
• About 3% of all students used cannabis daily during the 4 weeks before the survey (representing about 27,300 Ontario students in grades 7 to 12). About 3% of all students may have a cannabis dependence problem (representing about 28,700 students).
• About 15% of students report getting drunk or high at school at least once during the past year, and one-in-five (21%) were sold, given or offered a drug at school.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, CAMH’s Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) is Canada’s longest running school survey of adolescents, describing drug use and changes since 1977. During the 2006-2007 school year, 6,323 students in grades 7 to 12 participated in the survey administered by the Institute for Social Research, York University. The sample represents about 1,011,200 Ontario students in grades 7 through 12.
November 07, 2007
Katie DeRosa, The Ottawa Citizen
Expert’s lecture looks at gender-specific motives for smoking
The reason women smoke, especially university-aged women, stems from more than the fact that it’s an addiction.
A cigarette in hand is also a stress reliever, an appetite suppressant and a prop in social situations, says Sharon Anne Cook, a University of Ottawa professor who will give a lecture on the history of women and smoking tonight at the university.
“It’s used way beyond its nicotine hit,” said Ms. Cook.
Smoking provides a level of social comfort, “something that is hard to achieve using other kinds of props,” she said.
And there are several other factors that explain why the reasons to start smoking are often gender specific, said Ms. Cook.
In the lecture, How Virginia Hopes to Stay Slim — Canadian Young Women and their Long Romance with Smoking, Ms. Cook will also raise the argument that smoking is a method of weight control for many young women.
“It’s not that women get thin by smoking. They stay thin because it is an appetite suppressant.”
Ms. Cook sited recent studies that show that one quarter of women between the age of 20 and 24 smoke, which is much higher than rates for other age groups. The prevalence of smoking in that group also has to do with the level of stress women face when coping with adolescence, school and other social experiences, she said.
Young people have been reluctant to ditch the habit despite the wide-spread health concerns, she said, so acknowledging that factors exist outside of addiction will open up new methods to help people quit.
“The act of choosing to smoke is a complicated one and those complicated reasons need to be taken into consideration if we hope to convince young women to give it up.”
These gender-specific motives for lighting up aren’t new phenomena either, said Ms. Cook. Many of these factors have been around since the 1940s, she said.
The lecture will include photographs and clips of iconic women in history — like life-long smoker Joni Mitchell — who are constantly pictured with a cigarette, and how these images influence women’s choice to pick up the habit.
Ms. Cook has focused much of her research on the history of smoking in women, the topic of her potential next book. Before the speech, Ms. Cook will be awarded the University of Ottawa 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award for her nearly two decades of work in the faculty of education.
Alarming use of illegal contraband tobacco among youth smokers
Independent study finds contraband tobacco products account for 24% of youth tobacco consumption in Ontario and 35% in Quebec
OTTAWA, Nov. 1 /CNW/ – A new study commissioned by the Canadian Convenience Stores Association’s (CCSA) ‘We Expect ID’ Program shows that high school smokers are using contraband tobacco in alarming numbers. Illegal cigarettes, otherwise known as contraband tobacco, are being imported and sold throughout Canada inexpensively and with no government oversight. While youth smoking rates are at an all-time low, the research commissioned by the CCSA shows the use of these cheap, easily accessible, unregulated and untaxed contraband tobacco cigarettes are widespread among youth.
“The rampant use of these contraband cigarettes is a growing problem across Canada,” said Dave Bryans, President of the CCSA. “Through ‘We Expect ID’, we commissioned this study to determine whether youths were getting access to these illegal products. We were absolutely shocked by the extent to which it is actually happening. There are clearly some very serious implications as a result of these findings. Not only are these illegal cigarettes robbing the government of billions in tax revenue each year, but even more disconcerting is that no one knows what’s really in these contraband cigarettes. They’re often made in illegal, unregulated factories and sold to kids out of the trunks of cars. This should be a serious wake-up call to youth smokers, their parents, police agencies and government officials alike.”
The study involved independent research company, Arcus Group, visiting 55 high schools in Ontario and 50 in Quebec to collect cigarette butts from public ground outside school property. Collections were done by experienced research personnel from the Arcus Group during after-school hours. Over 11,000 cigarette butts were collected and then carefully examined and classified in three categories: legal, contraband or unknown.
The study reveals that in Ontario 24% of high school smokers’ cigarette butts were contraband, while in Quebec, contraband made up 35% of school yard cigarettes.
“These results make it clear the harm being caused by contraband tobacco goes well beyond business – it’s affecting neighbourhoods in communities throughout Ontario, Quebec and presumably across the country”, added Bryans. “Contraband represents a very complex problem with no easy solution, but if we are going to fight this creeping menace, we need to work together and press government to make this a priority.”
Contraband cigarettes are being illegally imported from places like China or illegally sold, tens of thousands of cartons each day, right here in Canada. They are priced cheaply, often selling for $1 for a pack of 20 cigarettes as compared to $8.00 for government taxed cigarettes. This all happens with absolutely no government inspection, testing, or review. In every case, these tobacco products are being sold without tax, robbing government of billions in revenue each year.
Additional key statistics and findings:
– 11,267 cigarette butts from around schools were collected
– 5457 in Ontario and 5810 in Quebec.
– In Ontario, the highest and lowest incidences of contraband included Newmarket and Aurora with 50% and 47% respectively, while Burlington and Oakville had the lowest, at 9% and 8% respectively.
– In Quebec, the highest and lowest incidences of contraband included Anjou and Côte-des-Neiges with 74% and 60% respectively, while St-Michel and Greenfield Park held the lowest at 12% and 18% respectively.
– 22 of the 44 municipalities/regions surveyed had over 30% share of illegal cigarette butts. 11 municipalities had over 40% share of illegal cigarette butts from the areas reviewed.
Regional Breakdown: The Spread of Contraband Tobacco Among Youth Ontario (55 high schools)
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% Contraband
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Toronto 23
Hamilton 15
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% Contraband
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Durham Region Average 28
Ajax 15
Pickering 39
Whitby 24
Oshawa 32
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% Contraband
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Halton Region Average 9
Burlington 9
Oakville 8
Milton 10
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% Contraband
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Peel Region Average 36
Brampton 29
Mississauga 44
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% Contraband
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York Region Average 32
Aurora 47
Markham 27
Newmarket 50
Richmond Hill 15
Vaughan 24
Quebec (50 high schools)
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City % Contraband
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Greater Montreal Area 37
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Quebec City 32
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Area % Contraband
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Anjou 74
Côte-des-Neiges 60
Dorval 38
Duvernay 48
Greenfield Park 18
Jean-Talon 38
Lachine 34
Laval-Des-Rapides 55
Laval-Ouest 50
Longeuil 50
Montreal 41
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 25
Pierrefonds 36
Pointe-Claire 31
Rosemont 36
St-Michel 12
Snowdon 31
Verdun 52
Westmount 26
Survey Methodology and Accuracy
Visits were made to 50 high schools in Quebec (Greater Montreal Area and Quebec City) and 55 high schools in Ontario (Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton) between Sept 18th and October 5th, 2007. The data has been tested for significance at the 95% confidence level with a 0.9% margin of error for the broad sample base. Results based on Ontario and Quebec Sample (n= 11,267) +/- 0.9%; Results based on Ontario Sample (n= 5457) +/- 1.3%; Results based on Quebec Sample (n= 5810) +/- 1.3%
About ‘We Expect ID’
The ‘We Expect ID’ program is the Canadian Convenience Stores Association’s rigorous age verification system to prevent youth from getting access to restricted products sold through convenience stores, including: alcohol, tobacco, movies, adult-themed magazines, lottery tickets, fireworks and other combustibles. It is a zero-tolerance approach to keeping restricted products out of the hands of youth. More information is available at www.conveniencestores.ca.
For further information: English Media inquiries: John Perenack, perenack@room-40.com (quick response), (416) 948-8722; French Media inquiries: Guy Nadeau, (514) 651-3180
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Newmarket, Aurora schools top list for contraband smokes: survey -ON
Nov 02, 2007 10:56 AM
By: Patrick Mangion, Staff Writer Newmarket
Newmarket and Aurora high schools top the list of hot spots for contraband cigarettes, something officials hope to stamp out following a meeting in Ottawa today.
Tobacco manufacturers, police, First Nations representatives and those representing Canadian convenience stores will discuss how to prevent the widespread availability of contraband cigarettes.
In Ontario and Quebec, it is estimated one in three cigarette purchases are contraband.
A study, paid for by the Canadian Convenience Store Association, analyzing about 1,100 discarded cigarettes at 55 Ontario high schools, found Newmarket and Aurora teenagers topped list.
The study reported 50 per cent of discarded cigarettes in Newmarket were contraband, followed by 47 per cent in Aurora.
However, the total number of cigarette butts found at the local schools was not known.
A similar number of schools were surveyed in Quebec.
The contents of unregulated cigarettes are unknown, the convenience store industry warned.
But several health and non-smoking groups are boycotting today’s Ottawa meeting because of its ties to the tobacco industry.
Organized-crime from Montreal and Toronto are being supplied illegal cigarettes from native reserves, the federal government reported.
The problem is worse today than in 1994, when the illegal tobacco trade set off a debate and eventually led to a drop in tobacco taxes.
The tobacco industry said they are not asking for a tax reduction, rather that the laws be applied.
Fri Nov 2 2007
By Carly Weeks
OTTAWA — An “alarming” number of Canadian teens are smoking black-market cigarettes, new research reveals, raising fresh concerns about the accessibility of the unregulated smokes and the impact that could have on teen smoking rates.
About one-quarter of Ontario teens and 35 per cent of Quebec teens are smoking contraband cigarettes, which are cheap, unregulated by the government and untaxed, according to the survey, which was conducted by Arcus Group and sponsored by the Canadian Convenience Stores Association.
“We have to have a huge concern,” said association president Dave Bryans. “Nobody knows what’s in these products. There’s no government overseeing. There’s nobody watching. We’re just closing our eyes and now they’re infiltrating the high schools.”
The market for illegal cigarettes, which are typically native-made and available on reserves primarily in Ontario and Quebec, has exploded in recent years. The rising prevalence of contraband cigarettes has raised serious concerns among health officials who highlight the fact ingredients in illegal cigarettes are unregulated and their low cost could encourage youth to smoke.
“We’re talking about a product that’s not controlled,” said Joanne Di Nardo, manager of community tobacco control initiatives with the Ontario branch of the Lung Association. “We’re talking about minors having greater access to tobacco products where perhaps they shouldn’t have access at all. That’s the biggest issue — controlling access.”
In addition to being unregulated and having uncontrolled ingredients, police organizations say that proceeds from black-market cigarettes fund organized crime and present a serious threat to society.
To conduct the survey, researchers visited 55 high schools in Ontario and 50 in Quebec and collected more than 11,000 cigarette butts between Sept. 18 and Oct. 5. After studying the samples, researchers discovered that 24 per cent of the cigarettes from Ontario schools came from the black market, while contraband smokes made up 35 per cent of the samples collected from Quebec schools.
The numbers should send a strong message to the government that it must intervene in order to stem the massive flow of illegal cigarettes into Canadian schools, Bryans said.
“The government has to come to the table and wake up,” he said. “Everybody has heard the issue and everybody has ignored the issue. What is this going to do to the future of youth smoking if you can buy 200 cigarettes for under $10?”
The contraband market for cigarettes is thriving in Canada and other studies have shown that about one-third of all cigarettes smoked in Ontario and Quebec — not just among teens — are illegal, said Neil Collishaw, research director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, a non-profit advocacy group.
— CanWest News Service
Students Light Up Despite School Anti-smoking Programs
