Ireland and Scotland are also considering health warnings on cigarettes with interest.

Following the Canadian government's announcement that it would introduce health messages on cigarette paper, the Irish Minister of Health has expressed interest in such a measure. Scottish health professionals are also advocating for this option. On May 31, 2023, on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, Canada presented the launch of its new measure-a flagship in the fight against smoking: the inclusion of health warnings on every cigarette, cigar or cigarillo. The measure comes into force on 1^er August 2023, with its implementation to take place between July 31, 2024 and April 30, 2025. Six types of messages have already been formulated, alerting for example to the fact that "Smoking causes leukemia" and that it contains "Poison in every puff"This announcement has resonated as a signal, prompting other countries to adopt this measure. In Ireland and Scotland, voices are being raised to demand it.

Ireland interested in health warning proposal

Stephen Donelly, the Irish Minister of Health, has shown great interest in these health warnings affixed to the cigarettes themselves, as well as in "whatever we could do to reduce smoking in our country"[1]However, he is waiting for the first results of the Canadian experiment before going further on this plan, recalling that the priority at the moment in Ireland is the ban on vaping products for those under 18.

A measure that complements others for Scotland

The idea of putting health warnings on cigarettes has also been put to the Scottish government as it prepares its next action plan against smoking. “Removing nicotine from cigarettes, adding health warnings to cigarettes, reducing the visibility and availability of tobacco products, implementing evidence-based awareness campaigns to motivate smokers to quit, and increasing accessibility to personalized support for groups with high smoking prevalence are just some of the measures that deserve the greatest consideration,” said Sheila Duffy, director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Scotland, in support of the request.[2]She recalled that all of these measures should be implemented to further reduce smoking and achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2034, a prelude to a "tobacco-free Scotland".[3]Along with Australia and New Zealand, which are also considering putting health messages on cigarettes, Ireland and Scotland are among the most advanced countries in the fight against smoking and distinguished themselves in the early 2000s by banning smoking in public places. In France, the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT) also included the proposal for health warnings on cigarettes in a study published in 2015, and renewed it in a white paper published in 2023.[4]. Keywords: Ireland, Scotland, health warnings, cigarette paper. ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Molony S, Health warnings on each individual cigarette could be on the way here after Canadian move, Independent, published June 9, 2023, accessed June 12, 2023. [2] ASH Scotland urges the Scottish Government to ensure its refreshed Tobacco Action Plan is both bold and ambitious, ASH Scotland, published 9 June 2023, accessed 12 June 2023. [3] Health warnings should be on individual cigarettes, campaigners urge, Ireland Live, published June 9, 2023, accessed June 12, 2023. [4] CNCT, Achieving a Tobacco-Free Generation, Contribution of Civil Society, White Paper and Proposals for the National Tobacco Control Plan 2023-2027, 2023, 31 p. National Committee Against Smoking |