Will Saskatchewan Ban Sale of Menthol Cigarettes?

 “Out of 15 to 19 year olds in Saskatchewan, 20 per cent smoke,” said Saskatchewan Lung Association health promotion vice-president Jennifer Miller.

That’s one of the highest smoking rates among youth in the country.

“If we look at the last three years the Canadian numbers have gone down about three per cent but in Saskatchewan we’ve only gone down just over one per cent,” said Miller.

Sunday marked World No Tobacco Day and the day Alberta became the latest province to take menthol tobacco products off the shelves, snuffing them out at the end of September. This comes as most flavoured tobacco products are also being pulled.

“The most important thing is that we help protect the health of Albertans and particular our youth, the research was really clear that this step needed to be taken to do so,” said Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman in Edmonton on Sunday.

“There’s a misperception that youth don’t use menthol products but what we know is that it’s actually the flavour of choice for youth,” said Miller.

Nova Scotia set the bar removing flavoured tobacco and menthol Sunday. Other provinces are moving in that same direction.

The Saskatchewan Lung Association feels the Saskatchewan government should also ‘butt out.’

“We don’t have to open up legislation for this … it’s a simple regulation, they have the regulatory authority to make this change and they need to step up, we’re really being tired of being the last province to be doing this,” said Miller.

The provincial government says it is committed to reducing tobacco use in Saskatchewan, especially when it comes to youth and is working on a provincial reduction strategy. It’s also monitoring Health Canada’s approach to the federal government’s Tobacco Control Act.

A bill was passed in Manitoba Monday to regulate electronic cigarettes and in Quebec, three tobacco companies have been ordered to pay $15 billion in damages an historic class action lawsuit.

Smoking restrictions kick in January 1

There will be fewer places for smokers to light up come the new year. New Ontario regulations that ban smoking on all bar and restaurant patios take effect Jan. 1.

At the same time, the province is prohibiting smoking on or around playgrounds and publicly-owned sports fields. The Ontario government will also no longer allow tobacco to be sold on university and college campuses.

“These changes are to protect kids and youth from accessing tobacco products and the harmful effects of smoking, and to protect the people of Ontario from exposure to tobacco use,” said Andrew Robertson, a spokesman for Associate Health Minister Dipika Damerla. “Making smoking less visible will make it seem less socially acceptable to kids and can reduce the likelihood that they start smoking.”

The vast majority of Ontario residents support banning smoking on playgrounds and sports fields, he added. Sixty-five municipalities have already invoked bylaws to shelter kids on playgrounds from second-hand smoke, while 60 municipalities ban it on sports fields. The new Ontario-wide regulation means all children will get these protections, he said.

Under the new rules, there will be no smoking around basketball and soccer courts, ice rinks, tennis courts, splash pads and swimming pools owned by a municipality, province or a post-secondary institution.

Children’s playgrounds at motels, hotels and inns are also included in the smoking ban. Anti-tobacco activists heralded the changes as a positive step forward for people’s health.

At least one restaurant industry spokesman warned that customers will now move on to sidewalks for a puff, exposing passersby to secondhand smoke. Robertson said the current tobacco law prohibits smoking on covered bar and restaurant patios, but the new regulation extends to those that are completely open to the air.

“Evidence shows that nearly 70% of people in Ontario want completely smoke-free patios,” Robertson said. “People can still be exposed to second-hand smoke on patios, even uncovered patios, and this regulation will reduce people’s exposure to second-hand smoke, including children and youth.”

Some of the more controversial measures are still to come. Ontario intends to ban the sale of flavoured tobacco, including the popular menthol brands, within a few years.

One group has warned that adult smokers who like menthol will turn to contraband tobacco suppliers for their fix. NDP MPP France Gelinas, who has pushed hard for a ban on flavoured tobacco, said that these products are developed specifically to create a new generation of young smokers.