Cigarettes in Canada are about to look a whole lot different.
Starting on November 9th, the Government of Canada’s new Tobacco Product Regulation law will standardize the appearance of all tobacco products. The new packaging will be a drab dark brown colour, deemed the “ugliest colour in the world”.
Retailers will have three months to comply with the changes, but some packages are already starting to show up on store shelves.
Under the new law, text style, colour and size, as well as word placement, are all standardized. Packages will also be covered in health warnings
Health Canada says the changes are designed to curb the number of young people who start smoking.
Health Canada stats say that 86 percent of Canadian smokers had their first cigarette by the age of 18, and in 2017, 91,000 Canadians became daily smokers.
The Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance says it hopes that vaping products will receive the same treatment.
The new plain packaging is all part of Canada’s Tobacco Strategy, which is designed to lower tobacco use in Canada to 5 percent by 2035. Tobacco is the leading cause of premature death in Canada.
