Should all flavoured tobacco be banned in Canada?

Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada says the sale of shisha tobacco and other flavoured tobacco products should be banned because of their appeal to young people.

Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada wants the federal government to ban the sale of shisha tobacco, a product that is smoked in a water pipe, and all other flavoured tobacco products. (Canadian Press)In 2009, the government amended the Tobacco Act to ban the sale of flavoured cigarillos, blunt wraps and cigarettes.

But the law doesn't cover shisha or flavoured chewing tobacco, although these also pose addiction and health risks.

Shisha tobacco comes in a variety of fruit and other flavours and is smoked with a hookah pipe.

Shisha, flavoured chewing tobacco and other flavoured products are sold with no warning labels, or with small ones, leading the public to believe they are not as dangerous as cigarettes, the group said.

"If Health Canada required these products to carry large health warnings like those on cigarettes, kids would be more likely to understand how harmful these products are," said Dr. Atul Kapur, president of the physicians group.

Kapur said that tobacco companies have also used loopholes in the law to keep selling products the law was intended to stop by, for example, increasing the size of flavoured cigarillos so that they're legally cigars.

Should the sale of all flavoured tobacco products be banned in Canada? Let us know what you think.



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