British Columbia interested in youth tobacco sales restrictions

The Minister of Health of British Columbia, Canada, has expressed great interest in plans to end tobacco sales to young people born in 2009 or later, adopted in New Zealand and announced in England. He believes this approach would help achieve a tobacco-free generation in the province by 2040.

With 8.7 billion daily smokers and 2 billion occasional smokers in 2022, British Columbia is the Canadian province with the lowest smoking prevalence. Far from being satisfied, Adrian Dix, the minister of this province, wants to go further and declares himself "open to all ideas that will help achieve this". The projects, enacted in New Zealand and announced in England, to stop all sales of tobacco products to young people born from 2009 onwards, particularly caught his attention[1]Adrian Dix hopes they will help achieve "almost completely"a tobacco-free generation by 2040[2].

Protecting young people from smoking

British Columbia is the only province in Canada where the sale of tobacco products is still permitted in pharmacies. With the exception of Victoria and Metro Vancouver, there are still no smoke-free outdoor spaces. Rob Cunningham, a representative for the Canadian Cancer Society, believes that British Columbia has not taken any major anti-smoking measures in 15 years and that it is time to change this. He advocates not only for the immediate adoption of the tobacco sales restriction plans of New Zealand and England, but also for a more comprehensive tobacco tax program.

A sales restriction measure was proposed in France by the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT) in a white paper published in May 2023. The CNCT suggests banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2014 or later. This proposal is also supported by the organizations of the Alliance Against Tobacco.

Keywords: British Columbia, Canada, New Zealand, England, tobacco-free generation.

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[1] Zussman R, BC health minister 'interested' in cigarette sale restrictions abroad, Global News, published October 6, 2023, accessed October 10, 2023.

[2] The commonly stated goal for a tobacco-free generation is fewer than 5.1% of smokers among 18-year-olds. In British Columbia, smoking prevalence was 5.3% among 15- to 19-year-olds in 2022 and 7.1% among 20- to 24-year-olds.