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Editorial: Smoking rate is still too high

In 1965, one in two Canadians 15 and older smoked. Government intervention and changes in attitudes have cut that rate to about one in seven.

In 1965, one in two Canadians 15 and older smoked. Government intervention and changes in attitudes have cut that rate to about one in seven. Now, the federal government plans to require that cigarettes be sold in plain packages, devoid of colourful branding and logos, making those dire health warnings even more prominent.

Given that massive reduction and its attendant savings in health-care and social costs, does the government need to tighten the screws further? The evidence indicates that it should. Smoking is still a costly habit in financial and human terms.

“Of the estimated 4.7 million current smokers in Canada, up to half will become ill or die from continued tobacco use,” said the University of Waterloo’s Propel Centre for Population Health Impact in its 2012 report on tobacco use in Canada.

“Tobacco is a leading preventable cause of death in Canada, responsible for over 37,000 deaths annually and about one-third of cancer. The economic impact of tobacco use in Canada is also significant, with an estimated social cost of $17 billion per year. Recent estimates indicate that tobacco-related illness costs Canadians $4.4 billion in direct health-care costs, and is responsible for 2.2 million acute-care hospital days.”

The concept of plain packaging has been pushed for several years by the Canadian Cancer Society.

“Plain packaging is an important and logical next step for Canada to curb tobacco marketing, reduce smoking and save lives,” says Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst, in a statement posted on the cancer society’s website. “Cigarette packages should not be mini-billboards promoting tobacco use. We urge Health Canada to follow the lead of Australia and other countries and take action to implement plain packaging in order to reduce the appeal of these cancer-causing products.”

It’s not known when the change will take place, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told Health Minister Jane Philpott to make plain packaging a top priority.

It raises questions of how far social engineering should go in trying to persuade people to drop bad habits. Tobacco is a legal product, after all, and smokers aren’t criminals.

The move might not dissuade many heavy smokers from their habit, but many young people start smoking because it looks cool and sexy. Lives will be saved if they can be persuaded to think otherwise. Tobacco companies invest hugely in advertising aimed at attracting young smokers; the government move would help level the playing field.

B.C., already with the lowest smoking rate among Canadian provinces and territories, aims to reduce smoking even further, but it takes a more positive approach. In 2011, it implemented a smoking-cessation program, providing free smoking-cessation aids and prescription drugs. As of Jan. 1, it has expanded the program to help more smokers kick the habit.

Whatever that program costs, it will be easily recouped if just a few cancer deaths are prevented.

It’s good to see Trudeau take a proactive approach to smoking, but he faces a conundrum. On one hand, he wants to make things tougher for tobacco smokers; on the other, he wants to make life easier for marijuana smokers.

Certainly, the laws need changing — pot smokers should not be regarded as criminals, any more than those who smoke tobacco or drink alcohol, substances that have proven harmful effects.

But the government should not appear to endorse pot smoking. Marijuana is not the dangerous substance portrayed by Reefer Madness, that silly propaganda film of the 1930s, but neither is it the beneficial herb some would have us believe. More research is needed on the drug’s attributes, good and bad.

Regardless, sucking smoke of any kind into your lungs is never a good idea.