Lung Association Pleased With Government's Aggressive Plan To Lower Smoking Rates, Canada

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 23 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PST

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The Lung Association commended the federal government for renewing the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy and its subsequent announcement of ambitious new goals to lower smoking rates in Canada.

"The renewal of the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy is an important step forward in lowering smoking rates in Canada," said Nora Sobolov, President and CEO of The Lung Association, "The goal of lowering smoking rates to 12% by 2011 is welcome news - and we look forward to working with the government and health organizations nationwide to ensure that we not only meet this goal, but surpass it".

Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of lung disease in Canada. Yet, 19% of Canadians continue to put themselves at risk of such diseases as COPD and lung cancer. While this represents a decline from 1985 numbers when 35% of Canadians were smokers, tobacco-related illnesses today still claim the life of 37,000 Canadians annually.

"We must take steps to get the tobacco industry and their creative marketing techniques out of the lives of Canadians," said Paul Thomey, Chair of Tobacco Issues for The Lung Association, "The government's renewal of this strategy, its stated new goals to reduce smoking rates, and its intention to ban misleading terms on tobacco products, are important steps forward in reducing the impact of the tobacco industry and in improving the lung health of Canadians".

The Lung Association also took the opportunity to call on the federal government to renew the Aboriginal Tobacco Control Strategy. In Canada, 60% of on-reserve First Nations people between the ages of 18 and 34 and 70% of Inuit in the North between the ages of 18 and 45 are smokers. Recreational tobacco use in many of these communities remains at extremely high levels, and continues to have serious health consequences among Aboriginal people. Moreover, with Aboriginal Canadians suffering some of the highest rates of respiratory disease in Canada, the renewal of the strategy would help to address these issues and lower smoking rates in these communities.

The Lung Association reminds all Canadians to visit http://www.lung.ca to learn the best strategies to stop smoking.

Established in 1900, The Lung Association is one of Canada's oldest and most respected health charities, and the leading national organization for science-based information, research, education, support programs and advocacy on lung heath issues.

http://www.lung.ca