Call for menthol cigarette ban in Ontario

Ontario doctors want the provincial government to reintroduce legislation to ban tobacco products with candy and fruit flavours, and to add menthol cigarettes to the prohibited list, according to a Canadian Press story.

A previous bill died when a June election was called.

That legislation would have exempted menthol cigarettes from the restrictions on flavoured tobacco, an exemption the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) wants eliminated.

The Ontario doctors’ lobby says new data shows that underage smokers who use menthol cigarettes smoke more often, and are more likely to continue the habit as adults.

“The evidence clearly shows that menthol makes it easier and more likely for kids to smoke,” said OMA president Dr. Ved Tandan in a release. “Ontario’s doctors are calling on government to ban menthol and candy-flavoured tobacco products now.”

The Canadian Cancer Society, too, has said that menthol cigarettes must be included for any ban on sales of flavoured tobacco to be effective.