This is what our government focuses on. Stupid, petty anti smoking laws. I personally don't care about the packaging, however I hope the government cares about the black market, with tobacco taxes already high and the black market already prevalent, it's going to make matters worse. As a matter of fact tobacco taxes should be dropped in all provinces, I'm siding with big tobacco on this subject. Don't add fuel to a fire. On top of everything, sometimes store cashiers can't even find the right cigarette you are looking for with the little branding thats on the package now!
Andrew - 6 years ago
As an Aussie that had previously been a smoker for many years, the plain packaging does not reduce the rates at all. What will happen, you will see a huge increase in the black market for ‘normal’ packaging or people simply do not care. You want to know why? Because smokers already know the harmful effects of smoking. Each person has made that decision for themselves. So putting these labels on packets does not deter a smoker. Now I can tell you what does deter a smoker. In Australia our packets are roughly costing upwards of $38 a packet of 25, come 2020, and a packet will cost upwards of $40 a packet. Want to deter many ppl? Increase the price. Or better yet ban it all together..
Terry - 6 years ago
Exposure to facts replaces ignorance.
Katerine - 6 years ago
Definitely it won't help. I dont smoke, but I do see the amount of effort that all the contraband companies put to pass their counterfeit cigars now, I can only imagine how easy is going to be for them once they all look the same. People who smoke cigars wont care of how the box looks, but if we are going to attack branding , then next on line should be all the sugary cereal boxes with the images of cartoons on them, targeting our children who DO consume them. About 89.9% of cigars smokers are above 27 years old, at that age, you will not stop smoking, just because the label is extremely graphic. It comes to your will to do so. This is a futile move from our government, that WILL NOT help reduce smokers but will increase the black market like never before.
Bruce - 6 years ago
You already can't see the packaging before purchasing tobacco products, so how is this going to help anything? I'm not a smoker and personally care what happens to tobacco sales, but this is just a redundant move by Health Canada to act like they're actually doing something, even if it's not going to do anything, and what they're trying to change isn't really a problem these days.
I think it's time Health Canada stops wasting our money on these pointless publicity endeavours and actually tries researching cancer treatment, or better yet spend the money on patient treatment so that we don't have death panels in Canada which decide whether or not people even get treatment in the first place!
Melissa - 6 years ago
I can already tell that most of the commentora are smokers just by their negative outlook on this issue. We all know that smoking is an addiction, can cause cancers, and to be honest, y’all smell disgusting after a smoke break. Why not try this new technique so that LESS people decide to start smoking or even help people quit. For the sake of others who have to suffer with smell your stinky ass, for the sake of proposed LESS cancer rates, and for the sake of families trying to live healthy lives so that our loved ones can live longer so we can spend more happy moments with them. Why NOT try it?
Tyler - 6 years ago
Smokers will never stop smoking no matter what you do to the packages. If you expect changing the packaging will in some way help them stop your kidding yourself. The addiction issue needs to be fixed otherwise you can put a black x on the pack and people will still smoke them.
Anonymous - 6 years ago
Extremely stupid ideal, like really who comes up with these ideas. Already years ago they shrunk the branding logo on the package and enlarged the warning sign to 3/4 of the package. How’ did that work out? I think it did nothing and everyone that still wanted to smoke is smoking regardless of what’s on the package. This ain’t gonna stop anyone from smoking. All that’s gonna happen is I’ll prob end up walking out of the store with the wrong brand of smoke, if they are all of a sudden all gonna have he same packaging look.
Will plain packaging, ALL BY ITSELF, reduce smoking rates? Of course not! But as part of a comprehensive program -- raising prices, raising the minimum age to purchase/possess/use tobacco/nicotine products, further-expanded smoking/vaping bans, prohibiting smoking in movies, etc., etc., etc. -- plain packaging is a very good thing. And, when all else fails, one of the best ways to determine how effective any anti-tobacco measure will be is to observe Big Tobacco's response to it. If Big Tobacco rants and raves about how nasty some piece of anti-tobacco legislation is, then we know it's effective; if they say nothing, then we know we're wasting out time. In this instance, Big Tobacco is very pissed off...so we know that plain packaging is a very good thing!!
Errol E. Povah
Dawn - 6 years ago
I could care less what the packages look like, I just want what's in the package. This is just a waste of time and money to explore this idea.
Jo T - 6 years ago
The visibility of cigarette packs is already zero in stores, the gross pictures are ignored and so are the warnings. Money and time would be better spent helping those addicted who want help and help prevent a future generation from becoming addicted. The design, color, font and ugly pictures on cigarette packs will make no difference.
Paula Kroetsch - 6 years ago
No it won't. All it will do is cause more pissed off smokers cause of getting the wrong smokes all the time. Imagine, if all packs look the same, what's to stop a cashier from grabbing the wrong ones and then getting chewed out by the customer for it? They are different colours for a reason. I know, cause if someone handed me next or number 7 instead of my Philip Morris or pall mall, I would lose my shit. Especially since those other 2 cost more then my smokes, are shorter, and taste like shit.
This is what our government focuses on. Stupid, petty anti smoking laws. I personally don't care about the packaging, however I hope the government cares about the black market, with tobacco taxes already high and the black market already prevalent, it's going to make matters worse. As a matter of fact tobacco taxes should be dropped in all provinces, I'm siding with big tobacco on this subject. Don't add fuel to a fire. On top of everything, sometimes store cashiers can't even find the right cigarette you are looking for with the little branding thats on the package now!
As an Aussie that had previously been a smoker for many years, the plain packaging does not reduce the rates at all. What will happen, you will see a huge increase in the black market for ‘normal’ packaging or people simply do not care. You want to know why? Because smokers already know the harmful effects of smoking. Each person has made that decision for themselves. So putting these labels on packets does not deter a smoker. Now I can tell you what does deter a smoker. In Australia our packets are roughly costing upwards of $38 a packet of 25, come 2020, and a packet will cost upwards of $40 a packet. Want to deter many ppl? Increase the price. Or better yet ban it all together..
Exposure to facts replaces ignorance.
Definitely it won't help. I dont smoke, but I do see the amount of effort that all the contraband companies put to pass their counterfeit cigars now, I can only imagine how easy is going to be for them once they all look the same. People who smoke cigars wont care of how the box looks, but if we are going to attack branding , then next on line should be all the sugary cereal boxes with the images of cartoons on them, targeting our children who DO consume them. About 89.9% of cigars smokers are above 27 years old, at that age, you will not stop smoking, just because the label is extremely graphic. It comes to your will to do so. This is a futile move from our government, that WILL NOT help reduce smokers but will increase the black market like never before.
You already can't see the packaging before purchasing tobacco products, so how is this going to help anything? I'm not a smoker and personally care what happens to tobacco sales, but this is just a redundant move by Health Canada to act like they're actually doing something, even if it's not going to do anything, and what they're trying to change isn't really a problem these days.
I think it's time Health Canada stops wasting our money on these pointless publicity endeavours and actually tries researching cancer treatment, or better yet spend the money on patient treatment so that we don't have death panels in Canada which decide whether or not people even get treatment in the first place!
I can already tell that most of the commentora are smokers just by their negative outlook on this issue. We all know that smoking is an addiction, can cause cancers, and to be honest, y’all smell disgusting after a smoke break. Why not try this new technique so that LESS people decide to start smoking or even help people quit. For the sake of others who have to suffer with smell your stinky ass, for the sake of proposed LESS cancer rates, and for the sake of families trying to live healthy lives so that our loved ones can live longer so we can spend more happy moments with them. Why NOT try it?
Smokers will never stop smoking no matter what you do to the packages. If you expect changing the packaging will in some way help them stop your kidding yourself. The addiction issue needs to be fixed otherwise you can put a black x on the pack and people will still smoke them.
Extremely stupid ideal, like really who comes up with these ideas. Already years ago they shrunk the branding logo on the package and enlarged the warning sign to 3/4 of the package. How’ did that work out? I think it did nothing and everyone that still wanted to smoke is smoking regardless of what’s on the package. This ain’t gonna stop anyone from smoking. All that’s gonna happen is I’ll prob end up walking out of the store with the wrong brand of smoke, if they are all of a sudden all gonna have he same packaging look.
Will plain packaging, ALL BY ITSELF, reduce smoking rates? Of course not! But as part of a comprehensive program -- raising prices, raising the minimum age to purchase/possess/use tobacco/nicotine products, further-expanded smoking/vaping bans, prohibiting smoking in movies, etc., etc., etc. -- plain packaging is a very good thing. And, when all else fails, one of the best ways to determine how effective any anti-tobacco measure will be is to observe Big Tobacco's response to it. If Big Tobacco rants and raves about how nasty some piece of anti-tobacco legislation is, then we know it's effective; if they say nothing, then we know we're wasting out time. In this instance, Big Tobacco is very pissed off...so we know that plain packaging is a very good thing!!
Errol E. Povah
I could care less what the packages look like, I just want what's in the package. This is just a waste of time and money to explore this idea.
The visibility of cigarette packs is already zero in stores, the gross pictures are ignored and so are the warnings. Money and time would be better spent helping those addicted who want help and help prevent a future generation from becoming addicted. The design, color, font and ugly pictures on cigarette packs will make no difference.
No it won't. All it will do is cause more pissed off smokers cause of getting the wrong smokes all the time. Imagine, if all packs look the same, what's to stop a cashier from grabbing the wrong ones and then getting chewed out by the customer for it? They are different colours for a reason. I know, cause if someone handed me next or number 7 instead of my Philip Morris or pall mall, I would lose my shit. Especially since those other 2 cost more then my smokes, are shorter, and taste like shit.
The packs of smokes already have those gross picture on the people smoke????