Interior Health’s Tobacco and Vape Reduction Coordinator says the new warning labels on cigarettes in Canada that came into effect on August 1 isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Well, its not going to hurt, lets put it that way,” Jeff Conners said on NL Mornings. “Is it going to be a huge impact, I don’t know? I’m not sure who thinks smoking is good for you anymore.”

“I think where it might be helpful is with youth who might be getting one cigarette off someone because they can’t find their vape. It’ll remind them that this is still a dangerous product.”

These regulations make Canada the first country to require warnings in English and French be printed directly on individual cigarette.

By the end of July 2024, king-size cigarettes will be the first to feature the individual health warnings, followed by regular-size cigarettes and little cigars with tipping paper and tubes by the end of April 2025.

But with warnings already a thing on the outside of cigarette packages, Conners says we might have reached a saturation point, noting he’s hoping to see other measures brought in to reduce smoking rates.

“We don’t have any warnings labels on alcohol and its a possible carcinogen. It causes more harm than any other drug. There is this balance I think we need to do, “Conners said.

“If I had my way, I’d reduce the availability like we have with cannabis shops. Just put all tobacco in one area and you have to go there. In our pharmacies you get tobacco at the front and your medication at the back, that’s kind of wacky isn’t it?”

“We don’t need tobacco in every corner store, every gas station,” Connors added. “To me that would be far more helpful, but there are going to be a lot of people pretty upset about that.”

Canada’s Tobacco Strategy has a target of reaching less than 5 per cent tobacco use by 2035.

Conners adds he’s also hoping to see increased taxes as a way to curb smoking rates in Canada.

“Really, tax the hell out of stuff that is addictive. Same as alcohol. It hasn’t been raised in years, it really needs a bump up,” he said. “These [warnings] are nice kind kind of fluffy things to announce and they’re not bad, but they’re could be other things. ”

Tobacco use continues to be one of Canada’s most significant public health problems and is the country’s leading preventable cause of disease and premature death, then-health minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a May 31 statement announcing the new warning labels.

Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship are banned in Canada and warnings on cigarette packs have existed since 1972.

In 2001, Canada also became the first country to require that tobacco companies print pictorial warnings on the outside of cigarette packages and include inserts with health-promoting messages.