Province takes tough stance on tobacco

[Dion]

In an effort to protect Alberta's minors from the harmful effects of tobacco use, .

On Thursday, Alberta’s Minister of Health Stephen Mandel announced the following amendments to the Tobacco Reduction Act and Tobacco Reduction Regulation:

• Ban smoking in vehicles with minors present (effective immediately)
• Prohibit the selling, giving, lending or supplying of tobacco products to minors, similar to federal legislation (effective immediately)
• Require minimum pack sizes for specific tobacco products – this will eliminate smaller, more affordable options (effective June 1, 2015)
• Ban certain flavoured tobacco products (effective June 1, 2015

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/province-t...acco-1.2101018

[DOOM]

I'm curious what flavoured tobacco products are going to be banned. I've never smoked a cigarette, but enjoy some flavoured cigars/cigars once in a while.

[RedHot25]

I think everything flavoured but menthol....which is a big issue: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...-ban-1.2834374

[dammage79]

Nothing Earth shattering about those announcements. Cigarillos were the ones kids were getting into anyway. I think a few years ago they also made them take the filters off of them and grape was eliminated.

As far as the Bootlegging law passed. I'm kind of surprised it wasn't already a law.

Limiting pack sizes is interesting, so they're doing away with 20 packs then? maybe single cigars too?

[cracher]

Heading out right now to clean the 7/11 out of apple Skoal.

It'll be wierd golfing without a whisky colt. I wonder if them vapes taste decent.

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Nothing Earth shattering about those announcements. Cigarillos were the ones kids were getting into anyway. I think a few years ago they also made them take the filters off of them and grape was eliminated.

As far as the Bootlegging law passed. I'm kind of surprised it wasn't already a law.

Limiting pack sizes is interesting, so they're doing away with 20 packs then? maybe single cigars too?

Which brand? You can still buy Grape Bullseye cigars.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by DOOM

Which brand? You can still buy Grape Bullseye cigars.

Really? maybe that was only in B.C.

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Really? maybe that was only in B.C.

Yea, I still have a pack in my room with a couple left, I bought the pack during the summer for houseboating.

[Boblobla]

So does that mean no more colts rum and wine? If so, weak.

[DOOM]

Is their any data that shows teenagers starting with flavored tobacco are more likely to move onto cigarettes?

I didn't start smoking any tobacco until I was 21 and have never though about smoking cigarettes.

Similar to the banning of high percentage beers, im not sure this will make a difference.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by DOOM

Is their any data that shows teenagers starting with flavored tobacco are more likely to move onto cigarettes?

I didn't start smoking any tobacco until I was 21 and have never though about smoking cigarettes.

Similar to the banning of high percentage beers, im not sure this will make a difference.

The issue is that the flavouring of tobacco is a specific strategy to market tobacco to minors. This eliminates that

[Dion]

Alberta’s new tobacco rules won’t ban menthol

Health Minister Stephen Mandel met with reporters Thursday to give an update on the new legislation, passed late last year but awaiting proclamation while the province fleshed out regulations.

The new rules won’t include a ban on menthol-flavoured tobacco — identified by anti-smoking groups as a lure for young smokers — though other flavoured tobaccos will be forbidden, along with smaller and cheaper packs of tobacco and smoking in vehicles when children are present.

The decision was made to move quickly on the new rules, said Mandel, who added that more consultation is needed before a decision is made on menthol, also a favourite among adult smokers.

“It’s an evolutionary process,” Mandel said. “The decision was made, menthol would be one we’d leave out this time.”

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ed...609/story.html

[calumniate]

Too much profit involved in menthol

[Regular_John]

Still not seeing a "break the legs of any smoker who throws butts on the ground" in these new rules.

Maybe I'm shortsighted, but I really don't give a damn if kids are smoking grape aid flavoured cigarillos, as long as the damn butts don't end up on the ground.

[T@T]

Banning everything but menthol is a big wimp out. 50% of menthol cigs produced are smoked by the youth 21 and under. (QR 77 says so anyway)

[combustiblefuel]

About time Alberta caught on. We have had those laws for years.

[Rathji]

Sounds like a good plan. Don't agree with menthols being excluded, but whatever.

[TorqueDog]

Semi-related: I'm trying to get my mom and dad off of cigarettes, picked up the V2 Ultimate Pack from www.v2cigs.com. A co-worker who switched from cigarettes to these swears by them for a number of reasons (no smoke/tar = better health and tastebuds, cheaper for refills once you buy the initial kit, no smoke = better nicotine absorption = use less of them).

I'd be happy if they just bloody quit altogether so this is a start.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by DOOM

Which brand? You can still buy Grape Bullseye cigars.

I think all of Bullseye are flavored, and non filtered.
Most of the other ones are too, pretty sure all of Primetimes are flavored and unfiltered.
HoneyT has filters and a line of non flavored though, but also a bunch of flavored ones.

[Zarley]

I'm not a smoker, but these restrictions are getting a bit ridiculous.