Strategy for a tobacco-free Quebec 2020-2025

Quebec public health authorities want the smoking rate in Quebec to decrease by almost half over the next five years to represent approximately 10% of the Quebec population. According to the latest consumption surveys, the smoking rate in Quebec (all age groups combined) is around 18%, but it is higher in certain categories of the population. As a result, special attention will be paid to vulnerable populations and to the way in which health-related social inequalities lead to higher smoking rates, particularly for low-income people, young adults, people with mental illness, as well as indigenous populations.

With the emergence on the market of new nicotine consumption devices (notably e-cigarettes), which are attractive to young people, it is essential to propose new effective intervention strategies to prevent the risks associated with them. To do this, the government's approach is to make smoking less socially acceptable.

The intervention strategies are structured around four axes:

• Denormalizing smoking: by reducing the appeal and accessibility of tobacco and vaping products, particularly among young people
• Prevent the initiation and consumption of tobacco and vaping among young people by raising their awareness of the dangers of the products in order to prevent their use so that they remain non-smokers and non-vapers.
• Help smokers quit by promoting tobacco addiction treatment services and improving the quality and coverage of these services according to the needs of the population.
• Protect against exposure to second-hand smoke by establishing smoke-free spaces.

For Dr. Horacio Arruda, director of public health in Quebec, " the face of the fight against smoking is changing profoundly and rapidly... it is these new challenges that are leading Quebec to review its priorities and the intensity of the actions undertaken " He adds, " that due to the deaths - approximately 13,000 per year - from diseases and the financial burden it causes, smoking remains a public health priority in Quebec and even more so in light of the new coronavirus pandemic ".

Public health officials also plan to closely monitor cannabis use to determine whether legalization has had an impact on smoking rates. However, that will be the subject of an independent study.

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