Canada has an Opportunity to be a Progressive, Global Leader in Eliminating Cigarettes: RBH

TORONTO, Dec. 22, 2022 /CNW/ - With the first review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) tabled, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH) believes that Canada has an opportunity to continue enacting progressive regulations for tobacco and vaping products.

RBH, in its TVPA submission, acknowledged and shares Health Canada's view on preventing the initiation and uptake of combustible products and ensuring that youth do not use any nicotine containing product. RBH has called for stricter rules and enforcement of age verification for the delivery and sale of nicotine products, including tougher penalties to prevent sales to minors.

RBH fully supports measures to vigorously protect youth. However, to accelerate harm reduction, it is RBH's position that action must be taken to help existing smokers transition away from cigarettes to potentially less harmful products. Specifically, there are two regulatory barriers that need to be eliminated to achieve this:

• Legalizing access to information to allow for better choices: Science shows that smoke-free alternatives like heated tobacco, vaping, or oral nicotine pouches, while not without risk, have the potential to be significantly less harmful than cigarettes. However, making health comparisons between products is currently not permitted, which limits adult smokers' ability to make an informed choice.
• Regulating alternatives based on risk: Various health agencies and governments around the world see smoke-free alternatives as pathways to ending smoking. Current regulations in Canada still restrict smoke-free alternatives and in many instances regulate them the same as cigarettes. Instead, nicotine containing products need to be regulated in separate categories based on their risk relative to cigarettes.

A complete copy of RBH's TVPA submission to Health Canada is available upon request. 

To learn more about RBH's smoke-free vision for Canada, visit: https://www.rbhinc.ca/home/what-we-believe

Quote: Mindaugas Trumpaitis, Managing Director, RBH

• With the first mandatory review of the TVPA tabled, Canada finds itself at a pivotal point to move the needle on its journey to a smoke-free Canada.
• We have a generational opportunity in front of us. The challenge, currently, is that regulations can make it hard for some adult smokers to switch away from cigarettes.
• The federal government already acknowledges that not all nicotine products are the same as cigarettes, but we need to go further.
• Canada needs to regulate smoke-free products based on the risk they pose instead of grouping cigarettes together with innovative products that are acknowledged as potentially less harmful. Canada should also allow existing smokers to have access to scientific information about smoke-free alternatives like heated tobacco products, vaping, or oral nicotine pouches so they can make an informed choice.
• We hope for continued dialogue with Health Canada to achieve our shared goal of unsmoking Canada and look forward to the second review of the TVPA to drive action that will materially impact the lives of every Canadian.

About Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.

Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH), an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc., is one of Canada's leading tobacco and nicotine companies and is working to deliver a smoke-free future. RBH is committed to sustainability and creating a positive impact on communities, the economy, and the environment. Currently, RBH employs nearly 800 people across the country with its headquarters in Toronto and a factory in Québec City. Discover more about the company at https://www.rbhinc.ca/ and stay updated on RBH's transformation by following Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.

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