Canada to Impose Safety Labels on Each and Every Cigarette

CAIRO, Nov. 4 (SEE)-  Canada could become the first nation in the world to put a cancer warning label on every single cigarette sold in the country, according to a government document.

Canadian regulators are considering “all elements of design, such as size, wording, font and colour” as they contemplate such a labeling scheme. Phrasing suggested in the paper could include “smoking causes cancer.” In addition to cigarettes, the labeling requirements could apply to cigarette tobacco, leaf tobacco, little cigars, kreteks (aka clove cigarettes), and tobacco sticks.

In 2001, Canada made it mandatory to label cigarette packages with photographs depicting cancer and disease. The dual-sided English-French labels on every package include a warning that cigarettes contain known carcinogens such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, nicotine, and tar. Benzene emissions numbers also appear on the side of packages.