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Health In Canada Essay

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Health warnings placed on the packaging of tobacco products, have been implemented to enhance the awareness of the harmful effects of smoking. Tobacco health warnings have been put in place within Canada in three phases, beginning in 1989, under the Tobacco Products Control Act. (Tabacco Labelling Resource Center). This method of advertising has been proven successful, as a study done by Smoke-Free Canada, shows 33% of Canadians describing themselves as smokers in 1986 (three years prior to the Tobacco Products Control Act), and only 21% of Canadians considering themselves smokers in 2002— which was thirteen years after the act was introduced. (Smoke-Free Canada). In 1989, when the Tobacco Products Control Act was initiated, there had to be a minimum of four messages in black-and-white on the front and back of the package. …show more content…

The most recent update to the Tobacco Products Control Act, was in September 2011, in the Tobacco Products Labelling Regulations for Cigarettes and Little Cigars. This required sixteen health warnings, including pictures such as tongue cancer, lung cancer, and even strokes, that must cover 75% of the front and back of tobacco products in Canada. (Tabacco Labelling Resource Center). It also had to include eight new health information messages, as well as four new toxic emissions statements. (Health Canada). In a study done by the World Health Organization between Canada, the United States, and Australia, it was proven that the pictorial warnings located on tobacco packages were considered more likely to be noticed than text-only labels, more effective for educating smokers about the health risks of smoking and for increasing smokers’ thoughts about the health risks of smoking, and that the pictorial warnings were associated with increased motivation to quit smoking. (World Health

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