Posted at 1:00 p.m.
A recent article in The Press presents fears about a potential increase in cigarette sales in Quebec, after the most recent data from the US federal government showed such an increase in 2020 in the United States.
Looking closer at the industry, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, Quebec has actually seen a decline of more than 6% in cigarette sales. However, and despite this, the province leads the country in terms of cigarettes sold. Our ambition as an organization is for Quebec – and all Canadian provinces – to see these numbers reach zero. To achieve this, we must turn to smoke-free solutions. Scientific breakthroughs now offer adult smokers who are not yet ready to quit the use of nicotine products better alternatives to continued cigarette smoking.
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges has made the decision to launch such an alternative in Quebec this month, in the form of a vaping product.
We know that vaping products are not without risk, and that they contain nicotine, which is addictive. In addition, cases of vaping-related illnesses have demonstrated that these products must always be subject to the highest manufacturing standards, and protected against the black market which contaminates the supply.
However, more and more studies, carried out all over the world, show that vaping remains a far preferable alternative to cigarettes.
Indeed, since vaping products do not use combustion, they expose consumers to substantially lower levels of harmful chemicals that are present in cigarette smoke, which are the main culprits of smoking-related illnesses.
Moreover, the Canadian Tobacco Strategy recognizes that smokers who switch from cigarettes to vapers substantially reduce their exposure to dozens of toxins and carcinogens present in cigarette smoke.
Shared responsibility
It is our responsibility as a company to provide freedom of choice to consumers and present viable solutions to reasonable fears. However, this is a shared responsibility: policy makers also have a role to play.
In response to the 2020 US statistics, Mme Flory Doucas, of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, would like to see the Quebec government raise taxes on cigarettes, comparing the cost of legal cigarettes in Quebec with the rest of Canada. It is clear that, despite the difference in cost, millions of adult Canadians still smoke.
Fortunately, there are complementary solutions to cigarette taxes. Indeed, science-based alternatives to cigarettes, such as smokeless alternatives like vaping products, represent a unique public health opportunity to accelerate the decline in cigarette smoking.
We therefore believe that governments have a responsibility to ensure their accessibility and affordability.
This means, among other things, ensuring that they are not regulated in the same way as cigarettes, and that a specific approach based on relative risk is adopted.
That said, it is essential to put in place measures aimed at preventing young people from using any type of product containing nicotine, such as the limitation of flavours, the obligation to affix warning labels and to draw up the list of ingredients. There should also be tougher penalties to prevent sales to minors as well as restrictions on advertising and promotion to prevent them from targeting young people. Again, there are solutions.
But for change of this magnitude to happen, we need action from policymakers, consumers and society at large. That’s why it’s more urgent than ever to start a rational, nuanced, science-based conversation about a cooperative approach to achieving a smoke-free future for all.
Opportunity is right in front of us. Thanks to advances in technology, there are now science-based smoke-free products that can replace cigarettes. With the ability to work with governments, Canada can lead the way and become the first country to phase out cigarettes. There are over 1.2 million reasons why we should be working towards this future, together.