Canada to have plain packaging on smokes

[El Presidente]

http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/canada-to-have-plain-packaging-on-smokes/news-story/5dee9678abb9f62142176222499229f1

[leftimatic]

Are they not already kind of plain? I haven't seen any with some guy water skiing with a smoke dangling from his lips, or some harlot twerking. How does a red striped or blue package influence kids to smoke? There's no transformers or teen idols of any kind. I think perhaps making it a forbidden fruit has more influence than company logos ever will. but hey what do I know.

[CaptainQuintero]

There was a piece on the news today saying the global roll out programme is all but agreed 

 

Cigarette plain packs to 'go global' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36396666

[Duxnutz]

Oh Canada. 

[dvickery]

Cigarette packages in Canada are already 85% covered in anti smoking propaganda ... What is left to be " plain " won't be much .

 

derrek

[ThePolskiOgorki]

There must be some psychology to this. At least you would hope so. The government wouldn't just spend tax dollars dreaming up policy to implement in order to justify their positions and create the illusion they are making a noticeable difference would they?

Maybe they are preparing for the inevitable legalization of marijuana. They don't want the fancy packaging of cigarettes taking anything away from the interesting names given to the various strains that could be for sale like "Purple Urkle" "Deathstar" the ever popular "Maui Waui" and lest we forget the "Alaskan Thunder Popular Word Beginning with F". Looks like they really do know what they are doing guys.

 

[CoffeeGeek]

23 minutes ago, ThePolskiOgorki said:

There must be some psychology to this. At least you would hope so. The government wouldn't just spend tax dollars dreaming up policy to implement in order to justify their positions and create the illusion they are making a noticeable difference would they?

There's more about this on CBC news; but basically, they're following Australia's lead, so maybe Rob can speak up on that a bit more.

Don't matter anyway - cigarette makers in Canada have already moved to making wood match boxes that "look" like their cigarette packs, sans all the warnings, and they'll just be pumping those out more and more. 

More troubling is this - it's been proposed the federal government just continually raises "cigarette taxes" (or they may have said tobacco taxes) on a yearly basis, say $1 a pack every year, as a deterrent. Two thoughts on that:

a. I hope to God they won't translate that over to cigars (but we all know they will)

b. They're really considering this because more and more Canadians are finding success in quitting smoking via e-cigarettes and vaping (around 60% or more based on a recent UK govt study), and government revenue from tobacco taxes is finally plummeting. The Canadian government HATES VAPING. The Provinces even more. So much so, they're moving to legislating them all blanket as tobacco products, in order to ban and restrict and possibly tax it all. Not one peep about actual studies on the cessation success of vaping, or regulating it purely for safety (instead of prohibition); Meanwhile, HeathCanada has no problem allowing a big-pharma drug (Champix, or Chantix in the States) to be sold at mega profits with a < 10% success rate, and a high rate of suicides as a result. 

I've come to firmly believe that the provinces in particular, and the federal government in Canada do not want people to quit smoking entirely. The tax revenue is stupendous: a 2 pack a day smoker in British Columbia right now is paying about $9.500 in combined federal / provincial / city taxes on cigarettes a year. I remember reading a Health Canada report in 2010 that a smoker is a "burden" on Canada's health care system to the tune of $2,800 EXTRA a year over and above what a normal non smoker is. Because it's the govt, I believe that number to be inflated, but even if it's 2x the amount today, our governments are profiting from smokers. They do not want that cash train to end. They just want smokers to be ostracized, 2nd-classed, and marginalized.

The bad news if my opinion is true, is this: as more and more people quit smoking cigarettes, the govt is going to jack up other revenue sources: that means cigars, which for many is an occasional thing and not a daily habit (it is occasional for me, for eg), will be priced through the moon and beyond. It means if the feds and provinces won't shut down the e-cigarette industry, but will move to heavily restrict and control it, and tax it through the roof.

OTOH... another theory:

The Feds and Provinces know pot's a comin', and they plan on lockin' it down, tightening it up, and charging an 80% tax on it to make up cig revenue they're losing. So they are moving now to marginalize cigarettes further before the big pot rollout happens in a year or two (and they start cashing in on that).

Anyway, sorry for the rant and alternate theory 

[IcedCanuck]

Does this mean Rob will have to put plain packaging covers/labels/bands on the cigars and boxes prior to shipping to Canada should this legislation pass?

[Blazer]

What's sad is the enormous waste of taxpayer dollars creating excessive and continuous legislation for, what is, a legal product. If they really wanted to make an impact why don't they just make tobacco an illegal product and remove it from the market ? Oh, I forgot, because of the millions of dollars in revenue state & federal governments derive from tobacco taxes to fund their own existence!

[ayepatz]

Oh, ffs governments, if you want to ban smoking, then just MTFU and ban it, instead of all this piecemeal crap.

Or, instead, maybe you could stop all the sinister, facist-state bullshit, and actually let your citizens enjoy the "democracies" we all think we're living in?

What the hell happened to freedom of choice, freedom of individual expression?

George Orwell was right. Big Brother is with us, and most people haven't even noticed.

[El Presidente]

6 hours ago, IcedCanuck said:

Does this mean Rob will have to put plain packaging covers/labels/bands on the cigars and boxes prior to shipping to Canada should this legislation pass?

In Oz, consumers are permitted to purchase cigars offshore (import them) in normal packaging. Hopefully the Canadian legislation when it comes to pass will mirror that. 

[stigmata]

Anglo counties leading the way...

[dvickery]

Pretty soon ... In Canada ... Owning Tobacco and smoking will be a felony .

and I will end up on death row  .

derrek