AUTHORITIES in Canada have announced a world-first anti-smoking initiative, which will see every individual cigarette labelled with a health warning.
The new packaging, which comes into effect on 01 Aug this year, will feature not-so-inspirational phrases (pictured) such as "Poison in every puff," "Cigarettes Cause Cancer" and "Tobacco Smoke Harms Children".
Health Canada said the move "will make it virtually impossible to avoid health warnings" on tobacco products, with the update following a public consultation period as part of measures aiming to halve smoking rates in the country to just 5% by 2035.
"We are taking action by being the first country in the world to label individual cigarettes with health warning levels," said Canada's Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Carolyn Bennett, who noted that tobacco use continues to kill 48,000 Canadians every year.
The new regulations will be phased in, initially applying to king-size cigarettes by the end of Jul 2024, followed by regular-size cigarettes and "little cigars with tipping paper, and tubes" by the end of Apr 2025.
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