Candy-flavoured cigarillos banned in Ontario and across Canada

 
For years the tobacco industry has been targeting children with tobacco products resembling candy. A cigarillo is a small cigar,  about the same size as a cigarette, often found in brightly coloured packaging and available in child-friendly flavours like cherry, grape, strawberry, ice cream, and chocolate. The packaging looks deceptively like candy or sometimes like bright lip gloss, making it easy for parents to mistake them for non-tobacco products.
Until recently, cigarillos were exempt from warning labels found on other cigarette packages, and were often sold in single-size packages for as little as a dollar. Not surprisingly, studies report that over 35% of grade 10-12 students have tried cigarillos* .

Take Action Successes!

 
Thanks to the letter writing efforts of many concerned citizens to their provincial and federal government representatives, as of July 2010, candy-flavoured cigarillos are no longer available in Ontario and across Canada.
In 2008, Ontario passed legislation on banning the sale of candy-flavoured cigarillos that came into effect on July 1, 2010. Ontario’s legislation includes provisions for future bans on flavoured tobacco products such as chew tobacco.
In April, 2010 the federal government placed a manufacturing ban on candy-flavoured cigarillos and implemented a minimum pack-size of 20 for all cigarillos. A federal retail ban, eliminating the sale of cigarillos, came into effect on July 5, 2010.

What you can do

 
While candy-flavoured cigarillos are now banned for sale in Canada, there is still work to do to ensure that tobacco retailers comply with retailing rules, including age restrictions, taxes and manufacturing licenses. To learn more about how children are accessing cheap, illegal cigarettes read about how you can take action against contraband tobacco.
 
 
*Youth Smoking Survey (2008-2009)