Reducing tobacco sales to kids
The Canadian Cancer Society is concerned about the effectiveness of laws governing access to cigarettes and other tobacco products for Canadian youth. The Society’s report – A Critical Analysis of Youth Access Laws – examines these laws across Canada. The report summarizes the international scientific research assessing the impact of these laws in reducing youth access to tobacco and youth smoking rates. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this report. Get Acrobat Reader.
Current laws prohibit retailers from selling cigarettes to under-age youth. Health Canada’s goal is to achieve an 80% compliance rate among retailers. In 2005, the measured compliance rate was81%.
The Society’s research shows there is no evidence that achieving a specific compliance rate will decrease the number of young people who smoke. The few access to youth interventions that did reduce youth smoking were part of comprehensive, community-based interventions that included stringent enforcement, community activities and media attention on the issue. However, these conditions are rarely achieved.
Health Canada’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Tobacco Control used the Society’s analysis as the foundation for its report entitled: Challenging Conventional Wisdom on Youth Access to Tobacco: Redefining Youth Access Interventions. The report recommends that the focus of the current laws move away from retailer compliance and move towards decreasing the social acceptability of providing tobacco to young people. The best and long-term solution requires reducing the demand for cigarettes and other tobacco products. The report provides recommendations for Health Canada to consider.
What we’re doing
The Canadian Cancer Society supports the recommendations of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Tobacco Control. We will advocate where appropriate for changes to laws governing access of tobacco products by Canadian youth.
Read our complete report examining the laws across Canada and the impact of these laws. You will need free Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this report. Get Acrobat Reader.
Last modified on:
28 April 2010
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