The Canadian Cancer Society has expressed concerns about a new type of cigarette introduced by one of Canada’s biggest tobacco companies. Rothmans, Benson and Hedges have launched a squeezable menthol cigarette, which releases menthol flavour when the filter is squeezed and decreases the harshness of the smoke on a user’s throat. The Cancer Society is worried that this will encourage more smoking among youth.
“This is just their latest trick; a trick that risks addicting more youth before legislated bans on menthol come into effect,” said Rob Cunningham, Senior Policy Analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society in a Nov. 19, 2015 press release. The Canadian Cancer Society is a national, community-based organization of volunteers whose stated mission is to eradicate cancer and enhance the quality of life of people living with cancer. The relationship between tobacco companies and the Canadian Cancer Society is a tense one, as cigarettes contain known carcinogens. These types of cigarettes have been marketed around the world for years, but this is the first time they are being sold in Canada. On Sept. 15, 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration ordered menthol capsule cigarettes made by Camel Crush to be removed from the market. Similarly, the European Union’s ban on menthol cigarettes will come into effect on May 20, 2016. In Canada, Nova Scotia and Alberta already have legislated menthol bans in place, and none of these products have been found for sale there. However, New Brunswick, PEI, Ontario, and Quebec are all in the process of either developing regulations or waiting for implementation of legislated regulations, meaning that there are no bans currently in place in these provinces. “That a tobacco company is able to even start selling these menthol capsule cigarettes demonstrates that federal tobacco legislation is woefully out of date and needs to be modernized,” says Cunningham. “The new federal government must move quickly to revamp the national Tobacco Act, adopted almost two decades ago in 1997.” One of the Liberal Party’s campaign promises was to strengthen Health Canada’s federal tobacco control strategy and legislation.
The national Youth Smoking Survey, conducted between November 2012 and June 2013, found that 29 per cent of high school students who smoke use menthol, compared to only five per cent of Canadian adults. Menthol cigarettes still contain all of the addictive and harmful ingredients found in other products, but the soothing effect removes one of the reasons that people quit smoking – throat irritation.
Cunningham told the Canadian Press, “We’re concerned that this is a new gimmick that will be attractive to kids, that will contribute to experimentation and addiction.”
Cunningham also mentioned that when the current tobacco legislation was adopted in Canada, flavoured tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and hookah smoking were not issues and are not considered under the current Tobacco Act, which expires on March 31, 2017. The Canadian Cancer Society has expressed hopes that the new Liberal government will follow through on their election promises to strengthen tobacco legislation.