Sask. lagging other provinces on tobacco control, cancer society says
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 | 5:48 PM CT
CBC News
Although people in Saskatchewan support tougher rules, the province is falling behind the rest of the country when it comes to tobacco control, the Canadian Cancer Society says.
The agency released a new opinion poll Tuesday, showing support for increased anti-smoking measures.
The Ipsos Reid phone survey of 900 Saskatchewan residents from Feb. 4-13 found most people want smoking banned from all health-care properties (with 84 per cent in favour), around entrances and windows of public buildings (76 per cent) and at outdoor stadiums and arenas (70 per cent).
According to society spokeswoman Donna Pasiechnik, every other province in Canada has had better results when it comes to reducing the number of smokers in the last decade.
For example, Quebec's numbers show a 10 per cent drop, while Saskatchewan's decrease was just two per cent, she said.
"We're at the bottom of the list," Pasiechnik said, adding that Saskatchewan is in an economic boom and the government should have the money to change things.
In Saskatchewan, about 59 cents a person is spent on tobacco control, one of the lowest per capita amounts of all provinces, she said.
"It is just appalling, in my opinion, that we collect $170 million a year from smokers in tobacco taxes, and we spend just over a half a million to prevent their kids from starting, to help those smokers to quit," she said. "I think that needs to change."
The society wants current smoking bans to be expanded, including no smoking in cars if there are children present. It also wants a ban on tobacco sales in drug stores.
Officials from the society met with provincial politicians on Tuesday morning hoping to convince the government to make changes.
