Government Should Update Tobacco & Nicotine Policy With Science-Based, Harm-Reduction Approaches

TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2019 /CNW/ - New rules are needed to keep pace with the dynamic innovations of smoke-free technologies to ensure these products are accessible only for whom they are intended – existing adult smokers, one of Canada's leading tobacco companies said today.

In its five-point action plan – "Unsmoke: Ideas for a Smoke-Free Canada" – Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. called for decisive action in terms of the safety, standards, appeal and access of smoke-free technologies such as vaping or heating tobacco.

Such initiatives to protect youth could include increased safety testing, tamper-proof containers, warning labels, regular reporting, promotional constraints, regulation of marketing of flavors in a manner which is not appealing to minors, as well as measures to ensure manufacturers' and retailers' compliance with age limitation/verification should also be explored.

RBH acknowledges the best policy is to abstain from tobacco or nicotine altogether, or to quit entirely.

But for adults who would otherwise continue smoking, government should adopt a policy of supporting new harm-reduction approaches for tobacco and nicotine.

Despite decades of government programs to promote abstinence or cessation, nearly five-million Canadians continue to smoke.

Policy and regulation in Canada have not kept pace with breakthroughs in science and technology that provides better alternatives to cigarettes that, while not risk free, can significantly reduce the exposure to toxic chemicals that cause harm.

To help existing adult smokers switch from cigarettes to these new technologies if they don't quit, RBH proposes government consider the following regulatory reforms:

1. Better define the category of vaping products;
2. Allow adult smokers to be informed more about the impact of switching;
3. Regulate the sale and delivery of online purchases;
4. Impose reasonable limitations on advertisements about vaping products; and
5. The level of taxation on smoking-related products should directly respond to the health risks they present, to encourage less harmful consumption.

RBH is committed to Unsmoke Canada and wants to eliminate cigarettes by 2035.

QUOTES: Peter Luongo, Managing Director, RBH

• The best policy is to never start smoking or to quit entirely. So governments in Canada should continue to support both of these approaches to protect youth and public health.
• Governments should also support new harm-reduction approaches for tobacco and nicotine use in Canada, to improve the health and lives of millions of adult smokers and the people who love them.
• There is much work to be done in Canada to ensure smoke-free alternatives such as vaping or heating tobacco are used responsibly only by current adult smokers who want to make a switch away from cigarettes.
• Youth should never use any nicotine-containing product, whether it's a cigarette or vaping product. Vaping products are only for adult smokers, and should only be sold or advertised with that in mind.
• We are prepared to work with Health Canada to discourage teen vaping and better help adult smokers switch to better alternatives.
• Some flavours are also important in vaping products to help existing adult smokers switch away from harmful cigarettes. At the same time, responsible marketing practices should be developed to prohibit vaping's appeal to youth.
• We want to Unsmoke Canada. For change like this to happen we need policy makers, consumers and society in general to all play a role.
• The core message of Unsmoke is: if you don't smoke, don't start. If you smoke, quit. If you don't quit, change.

A complete copy of RBH's platform is available at www.RBHinc.ca.

About Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc., an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc., is one of Canada's leading tobacco companies and employs nearly 800 people across the country with its headquarters in Toronto and a factory in Québec City. RBH is a certified Top Employer 2019 in Canada for excellence in employee conditions. For more information please visit rbhinc.ca and unsmoke.ca.

SOURCE Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.

Media Inquiries: Larysa Woloszansky, Media Relations, Tel: [phone], [email protected]

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