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History of tobacco control

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History of tobacco control

1950s and 1960s

1950	First modern studies published regarding the relationship between smoking and lung cancer
1963	Canadian Health Minister Judy LaMarsh concludes that smoking is a contributory cause of lung cancer
1964	US Surgeon General Advisory Committee concludes that smoking causes lung and laryngeal cancer in men and is a probable cause in women
1969	House of Commons Standing Committee on Health, Welfare and Social Affairs recommends that tobacco advertising be banned and that a warning be placed on packages

1970s and 1980s

1970s	Municipalities begin to adopt bylaws to restrict smoking in public places
1972	Tobacco industry withdraws direct tobacco advertising from radio and television and places a weak health warning on the side of cigarette packages
1988	Tobacco Products Control Act adopted to ban tobacco advertising
1989	Tobacco Products Control Regulations require a series of 4 text health warnings to cover 20% of the package front and back

1990s

1991	Federal tobacco taxes increased by $6 per carton – the largest federal increase in Canadian history All provinces and territories have used tobacco tax increases as a means to decrease smoking
1993	Tobacco Sales to Young Persons Act adopted to increase the minimum federal age for tobacco sales to 18 from 16
1994	Tobacco Products Control Regulations amended to require a series of 8 black and white health warnings covering 35% of the package front and back Ontario becomes first province to ban tobacco sales in pharmacies– all provinces except British Columbia have since done so
1996	Vancouver becomes first municipality to adopt a bylaw requiring restaurants to be 100% smoke-free
1998	Tobacco Act amended to prohibit tobacco sponsorships, effective in 2003 British Columbia becomes first province to file medicare cost recovery lawsuit against the tobacco industry –all provinces would subsequently do the same or announce their intention to do so

2000s

2000	Tobacco Products Information Regulations adopted to require world precedent setting picture-based warnings covering 50% of the package front and back Canadian Cancer Society establishes Smokers’ Helpline in Ontario, providing smokers a toll-free service for assistance on how to quit The Society would later provide a similar service in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
2001	Saskatchewan becomes first province to adopt legislation to prohibit visible display of tobacco products at retail, effective in 2002 –all provinces and territories would later do the same
2003	WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control – the international tobacco control treaty –approved, effective in 2005
2004	Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories and Nunavut become first provinces/territories to adopt legislation making all restaurants and bars 100% smoke-free – all provinces and territories have now done so
2008	Wolfville, NS becomes the first municipality to ban smoking in vehicles with kids – this would later be implemented by provincial legislation in all but Quebec, which has yet to do so
2009	Parliament amends the Tobacco Act to ban flavoured cigarettes and some little cigars (effective in 2010) and ban print advertising
2012	New federal regulations come into effect increasing the size of health warnings to 75% of the front and back of cigarette packages and including a toll-free quitline number and web address in the warnings Read the Society’s news release, Sept. 27, 2011