this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2026
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Behind the push to make smoking and vaping illegal for a generation of Canadians (vancouver.citynews.ca)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Sunshine@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca
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[–] qyron@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have a couple of ideas.

First would be making tobacco a specialty item, to be sold solely on specialty shops. Take it out of the supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations, etc. Put it in an enclosed, reserved space, with knowledgeable people behind the counter to actually teach a customer on tobacco and smoking and we have a start.

Second would be to end specific tobacco blends that invite to grab a cigarette after another. I work around smokers and the more conscious ones mention there are such blends, while others satisfy after just one, whatever that may mean.

Third measure would be to make tobacco expensive and perhaps even cap the price. I worked with a person that said he'd quit the day a pack cost 10€. We've been farther from that but the cheapest pack available on the market is 5,5€ which is cheaper than the average pack was when I had that talk with my coworker. Twenty years back. I wonder how the companies manage to put such cheap product on the market today and not then.

Next would be to move the culture forward and bring back the notion of smoking as an indulgence and not an escape. My country, in the 60's and 70's, during a civil war, dispensed cigarette packs to soldiers where it was stamped "Have a cigar and relax." It did wonders to boosts the tobacco consumption in the country. Previously it was mostly confined to more afluent people, who would usually smoke the pipe or high quality cigars, which is a better form of tobacco.

And where is tobacco a part of curriculum?

[–] twopi@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Again, I agree with your first point. Hence I like the LCBO model ( Government owned and run store , it also adds to the budget ).

You mentioned civil war, not sure which country you're from. Greece? Portugal? Former Yugoslavia?

Second would be to end specific tobacco blends that invite to grab a cigarette after another. I work around smokers and the more conscious ones mention there are such blends, while others satisfy after just one, whatever that may mean.

I like this second point a lot. One of the issues I have with the current government structures is that what we do is this: People -> MPs -> select Government -> select Finance Minister -> interacts with LCBO. I would be perfectly OK with people who drink to elect people to the board of LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario), weed for OCS (Ontario Cannabis Store), and the equivalent one that would be for the tobacco one to get their voices heard. There should be people who represent people who don't do those things on the boards as well to represent their interests. But this second point highlights why the people who use and make the products should take a charge in creating their experience and have customers and non-customers regulate their experience.

Well the advance of manufacturing is probably a key role in reducing the price, the same as in every industry. Hence the need of punitive taxes to discourage starting and staying (as your coworker shows).

I agree, this is a cultural change. This is a Canadian forum. We are heavily influenced by the US. US and Canadian media became really anti smoking in the 90s-2000s.

I am from Ontario, Canada.

Addictive substance abuse is taught in Grade 5 ( age 10-11 ) toward the end of the year. There is a whole unit on it. At the end of the year, there is also a unit on puberty. Then we get taught them again through the teenage years in physical education classes. Mandatory phys-ed ends at Grade 9 ( age 14-15 ).

The portion of the Ontario, Canada curriculum that talks about addictive substance is found in Ontario Curriculum standard Grade 5 Standards Healthy Living section D1.2 , D2.3 , and D3.3 . Found here ( link: https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/elementary-health-and-physical-education/grades/grade-5/strands#healthy-living )