Manitoba aims to butt out flavoured cigarettes
The Manitoba government is moving to ban the sale of flavoured cigarettes, saying they lure young people into smoking.
"No parent wants their child to smoke and we should do whatever we can to keep them from picking up this dangerous habit in the first place," Healthy Living Minister Sharon Blady, making the announcement Wednesday at West Kildonan Collegiate.
It is estimated tobacco kills about 2,000 Manitobans every year, the government said.
"Cigarettes that taste like strawberry and bubble gum in flashy packaging are attractive to children and encourage them to experiment with tobacco. It's time that we remove these products from the shelves to help our kids avoid tobacco all together," Blady said.
"We will be one of the first in Canada to ban the sales of these products, basically building further on our anti-tobacco record.”
The ban applies to cigars and cigarettes that are flavoured. Menthol tobacco and chewing tobacco are not being banned.
Smoking rates among youth have actually declined in the province, from 29 per cent in 1999 to 13 per cent in 2012, but the government wants to continue that momentum.
Blady hopes the motion passes before the end of the legislature session in June.
