Tackling tobacco in Saskatchewan

A recent news article1 highlighted reaction from the tobacco industry to Saskatchewan's world-precedent- setting ban of “power walls.” These growing rows of brightly coloured tobacco products found in stores across Canada are the tobacco industry's last hope of promoting its products to children and youth.

In Saskatchewan, these eye-level displays of tobacco products in a place our children frequently visit — the corner store — have been gone since March. The tobacco companies have reacted to the loss of this marketing tool by launching the lawsuit mentioned in your article. By addicting youth, the industry replaces the 45 000 Canadians who die each year from tobacco-related illnesses.

Protecting our youth from tobacco has been at the centre of Saskatchewan's Tobacco Control Act, and our legislators are continuing to stand firm to achieve this goal. In the weeks since Saskatchewan's Tobacco Act was proclaimed, both the Saskatchewan Pharmaceutical Association and federal enforcement officers have noted high levels of compliance and acceptance of the legislation. They also report that compliance appears to have been achieved relatively easily and with minimal disruption.