New warning labels on cigarettes will be implemented starting this week

A new set of health regulations requiring warning labels on every cigarette is set to come into effect on Tuesday.

This measure was announced earlier this year, making Canada the first country in the world to take this step to assist smokers in quitting and discourage non-smokers from taking up the habit. The words on each cigarette stick, written in both English and French, include warnings about harm to children, damage to organs, causing sexual impotence, and blood cancer.

A senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society predicts that these labels will dissuade young people with a tendency to smoke and compel tobacco-dependent parents to combat the habit. On May 31st, the Minister of Health announced the new warning labels, stating that tobacco consumption remains one of Canada's most significant public health issues and a leading cause of premature deaths and preventable diseases.

Tobacco advertising and promotion are banned in Canada, and since 1972, warning labels have been present on cigarette packs. In 2001, Canada became the first country to mandate pictorial warnings on cigarette packs.