Legislation to protect young Albertans focus of renewed Tobacco Reduction Strategy

“Tobacco use is linked to several forms of cancer, as well as many other illnesses, and contributes to the death of thousands of people every year,” said Health Minister Fred Horne. “As part of our continued fight against cancer and our commitment to the health of Albertans, this government is taking action to make tobacco and tobacco-like products less attractive to youth, further reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and help Albertans quit using tobacco.”

Creating Tobacco-Free Futures 

Alberta’s Strategy to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use, 2012-2022, will focus on the following priorities over the next three years:

• introducing legislation restricting the sale of flavoured tobacco;
• introducing provincial legislation to prohibit tobacco sales to minors;
• enacting legislation to protect children from second-hand smoke in vehicles;
• increasing social marketing around the harms associated with tobacco use;
• enhancing tobacco cessation training for health professionals; and
• expanding workplace, school-based and community tobacco-cessation programs.

Other initiatives that government will consider over the next 10 years include point-of-sale health warning signage, tobacco tax increases, further restrictions on smoking in public areas, and expanding the availability of tobacco cessation products and resources.

“This strategy gives Albertans the knowledge, incentives and tools to make healthier choices,” said Associate Minister of Wellness Dave Rodney, who will lead the implementation of the strategy. “It contains practical and effective actions for government, health care providers, educators and communities. We all need to work together to help Albertans create tobacco-free futures.”

Proposed legislative changes to support the strategy will be referred to the Legislative Policy Committee on Families and Communities, an all-party committee of the Alberta Legislature, for consideration.

"Tobacco use in its various forms is the cause of many diseases, disability and premature death.  It's also very clear that tobacco is highly addictive. Either deciding not to start using tobacco in the first place or, for smokers, quitting tobacco use, is probably the most important thing a person can do for their personal health,” said Alberta's Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Martin Lavoie. "This strategy provides a comprehensive approach to preventing and reducing tobacco use and protecting from its harmful effects, ultimately leading to much better health for Albertans. Individuals, their families, their friends, their employers and society as a whole will benefit tremendously."

Stakeholders said the following:

“Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Alberta,” says Angeline Webb of the Canadian Cancer Society. “We know that it’s responsible for more than one-third of all cancers and cancer deaths. By implementing the renewed Alberta Tobacco Reduction Strategy, the government is supporting a comprehensive approach in reducing tobacco-related disease and death - ultimately protecting Albertans today and in the future from the significant and well-understood risks of tobacco. Given what we know about tobacco use, this strategy is a progressive approach that is going to help reduce the number of Albertans who pay the ultimate price every year for using tobacco.”

"The Heart and Stroke Foundation commends the Government of Alberta's commitment to continued work to decrease tobacco use in the province."

“The release of this strategy is a crucial step in protecting our children, youth and the Alberta public from the harmful effects of tobacco,” says Leigh Allard, President & CEO, The Lung Association, Alberta & NWT. “There are proven strategies that will help prevent lung disease and promote lung health so all Albertans can breathe easier.”

“The renewed tobacco strategy is an essential part of reducing the burden of chronic disease in Alberta,” says Les Hagen, Executive Director, Action on Smoking & Health. “We’ve made good progress in the past 10 years and overall smoking rates are now at an all-time low. However we must continue to apply effective measures to further reduce tobacco use, particularly among young people. Alberta youth deserve first-class protection from tobacco sales and marketing, and the renewed strategy will help to keep many more adolescents tobacco-free for life.”

“My dream is for Alberta’s youth to have a tobacco-free future” says Jianna Marin, a high school student from Lloydminster. “Today our government showed that they share this dream, that the future of young Albertans is a priority.”

“Alberta Health Services is very pleased that the new tobacco reduction strategy has been released,” says Dr. Gerry Predy, Senior Medical Officer of Health for Alberta Health Services. “We look forward to continuing to work with Alberta Health and other Provincial Advisory Committee members to move the initiatives within this strategy forward.”

Funding for the strategy will come out of the existing Alberta Health Services tobacco reduction budget. In addition, the government has committed $500,000 a year for three years for a social marketing campaign under the Addiction and Mental Health Strategy.

Overall smoking rates in Alberta have fallen from 25 per cent in 2001 to 19 per cent in 2010. The targets for 2022 set out in Creating Tobacco-Free Futures include a decrease in smoking rates for Albertans aged 15 and older from 19 per cent to 12 per cent.

The new tobacco reduction strategy was developed by the Provincial Advisory Committee on Tobacco, comprised of representatives of several government ministries, Alberta Health Services, health professionals and non-government organizations.

To view the strategy, visit http://www.health.alberta.ca/initiatives/tobacco-reduction-strategy-2012.html

Backgrounder

Highlights of Tobacco Reduction Strategy

Costs of Tobacco Use

• In Alberta, tobacco use is responsible for about 3,000 deaths each year.
• In Canada, smoking causes about 30 per cent of cancer deaths and more than 85 per cent of lung cancers.
• A smoker’s likelihood of having a heart attack is two to four times higher than a non-smoker.
• It is predicted that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be the third leading cause of death by 2030.
• In Alberta, those who smoke usually start by age 14. Smoking during adolescence can contribute to increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, increased risk of respiratory problems and reduced rate of lung growth and function.
• In 2006, the Conference Board of Canada estimated that the additional cost of employing a smoker is roughly $3,400 per year.

Targets:

• Decrease smoking rates:
  • • for Albertans aged 15 and older, from 19 per cent to 12 per cent;
    • for people aged 12 to 19, from 13 per cent to six per cent;
    • for those aged 20 to 24, from 30 per cent to 20 per cent; and
    • for pregnant women, from 17 per cent to 11 per cent.
• Reduce estimated per capita tobacco sales by 50 per cent, from 1491 units in 2011/12 to 745 units in 2022.
• Increase the proportion of daily smokers, age 15 or older, making one or more attempts to quit, from 49 per cent to 65 per cent.

Phase 1: 2012-15

Prevention

• Introduce provincial legislation to prohibit tobacco sales to minors. This will allow government to work with law enforcement agencies to enforce the legislation.
• Implement a social marketing/public awareness campaign on the harms of tobacco use.
• Support delivery of comprehensive school health programs.
• Develop a youth engagement campaign and expand peer-leadership programs.
• Develop tobacco prevention initiatives that target pregnant women and at-risk populations.

Protection

• Introduce legislation restricting the sale of flavoured tobacco.
• Consider legislation prohibiting the use of tobacco-like products, such as water pipes, in places where cigarettes are already banned.
• Enact legislation to protect children from second-hand smoke in vehicles.

Cessation

• Enhance tobacco cessation training for health professionals.
• Develop a communication campaign to expand the reach of tobacco cessation services.
• Expand workplace, school-based and community-based tobacco cessation programming.

Knowledge Translation and Capacity Building

• Develop a provincial research strategy to support policy and program development.
• Develop a comprehensive evaluation framework for the tobacco reduction strategy.
• Explore the creation of a provincial tobacco retail licensing system.

Phase 2: 2015-2018

Prevention

• Consider point-of-sale health warning signage and tobacco reduction messaging.
• Support the development and inclusion of wellness-related school curricula.
• Offer tobacco reduction training to educators and health professionals working with youth.
• Consider increasing tobacco taxes, which is recognized to be an effective strategy to reduce tobacco use.

Protection

• Consider prohibiting use of tobacco, tobacco-like products and smokeless tobacco on all government-owned or leased property, including schools, post-secondary institutions, healthcare facilities, and provincial and municipal buildings grounds.
• Explore restrictions on smoking in outdoor areas, such as playgrounds and public parks.
• Encourage landlords, through education, to make multi-unit dwellings smoke-free.
• Explore the development of additional anti-contraband measures and increased enforcement resources. The Government of Alberta, in conjunction with law enforcement, continues to monitor the threat posed by illicit tobacco in the province. The government will bring forward additional measures or increase resources to combat contraband as needed.

Cessation

• Explore options to enhance access to nicotine replacement therapy products and tobacco-cessation medications.
• Explore incentives for health professionals providing tobacco reduction services.
• Develop tailored tobacco-cessation programs for at-risk populations, pregnant women and other population groups.

Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building

• Incorporate successful grant projects into Alberta Health Services core funding as appropriate.
• Increase training opportunities, such as workshops, forums and other events, for health professional, educator and community stakeholders.
• Expand law enforcement agencies’ awareness of initiatives to reduce use of tobacco, tobacco-like products and smokeless tobacco.
• Explore increased fines for violations of tobacco reduction legislation.

Phase 3: 2018-2022

Prevention

• Develop prevention advertisements to precede movies shown in Alberta that depict use of tobacco, tobacco-like products and smokeless tobacco.
• Support the development of post-secondary initiatives focused on reducing tobacco, tobacco-like products and smokeless tobacco use.

Protection

• Explore the creation of provincial tobacco product standards.
• Explore the prohibition of smoking in hotel and motel guest rooms.

Cessation

• Explore increasing the number of outlets that sell nicotine replacement products.

Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building

• Support the incorporation of tobacco reduction information and skill development in health-related post-secondary curricula.

The full strategy can be found at http://www.health.alberta.ca/initiatives/tobacco-reduction-strategy-2012.html.

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Media inquiries may be directed to:
Bart Johnson
Press Secretary
Minister of Health
780-427-3665
780-446-9190 (cell)

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