July 5, 2010 - With the help of youth leaders, Bill C-32, or the Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing Aimed at Youth Act, comes into effect, today. This prohibits fruit and candy flavourings from cigarillos (little cigars), cigarettes and blunts sold in Canada. It will also require cigarillos and blunts to be sold in packages of 20 instead of the smaller “kiddie packs,” and carry health warnings similar to those on cigarette packages. Tobacco industry advertising will be restricted further with the banning of ads in Canadian magazines and newspapers.

Youth advocates, across Ontario, identified the deadly allure of candy-flavoured tobacco in recruiting teen smokers. They knew the seriousness of this issue because they could see their friends experimenting and getting caught-up in tobacco addiction.

“The fight to eliminate candy flavouring in tobacco started years ago,“ said youth Peer Leader Dakota Warkentin. “We could see how teens were being targeted by the tobacco industry. Youth groups brought the issue to the forefront with the “Flavour… Gone!” campaign.” 

The “Flavour… Gone!” campaign was launched July 24, 2008, to make changes to the federal Tobacco Act. The campaign’s Facebook site helped mobilize the initiative with hundreds of supporters. Their efforts pushed both the provincial and federal governments into legislative action.

“Bill C-32 is a genuine step forward in tobacco control,” said Ken Ranta, Manager of Tobacco Programs at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, “It was the youth who led this effort and were able to keep up the momentum which led to eliminating candy flavoured cigarillos.”

In Thunder Bay, approximately 18% of youth (aged 14-19) use tobacco products regularly which is slightly higher than the provincial average.

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