Health Minister announces new steps to help Canadians stop smoking
OTTAWA - Health Minister Allan Rock today released a report on Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs) commissioned by Health Canada and announced the creation of a blue ribbon panel of North American science experts to advise his department on developing a tobacco product modification strategy, including the use of aids to help people quit smoking.
The Minister made the announcement on World No-Tobacco Day, May 31, which has smoking cessation as its theme this year.
The report, titled Nicotine Replacement Therapies in Smoking Cessation, confirms that up to half of Canada's 6.7 million smokers will die prematurely of smoking-related causes if they continue to light up. However, almost 50% say that they intend to quit smoking over the next six months. The report has good news for them: NRTs, the most widely used pharmacological aids for quitting smoking, can significantly increase the success rate of would-be quitters. These therapies include nicotine patches and nicotine chewing gum.
"The typical smoker starts as a teenager - like I did - because they think it's cool. The tobacco industry spends millions of dollars on marketing that reinforces that image. Then, before the young smoker knows it, he or she is addicted," said Mr. Rock. "I know giving up smoking isn't easy. It took me years and several attempts. I hope this report, which confirms the effectiveness of NRTs, will give renewed hope and confidence to the millions of Canadians who want to kick the habit."
Health Canada has already increased the accessibility and use of NRTs by making them available without a prescription. The Minister indicated that his department will look at the possibility of fast-tracking the approval process for new NRTs.
The Minister also announced the creation of an Expert Committee on Nicotine and Tobacco Science. Mr. Rock said: "Today, I am asking the top experts in North America to help develop more effective ways to both regulate tobacco products and to evaluate smoking cessation aids. The work of the Expert Committee will be instrumental in developing the scientific basis to maintain Canada's leading role in tobacco control."
The committee will be chaired by Dr. William Rickert, Canada's leading expert in this field, and will bring together a core group of established scientists with international reputations related to tobacco control. It will guide and advise Health Canada in developing strategies to reduce tobacco consumption and adverse health effects among Canadians. These strategies will include, for example, ways to reduce and possibly eliminate dependence on tobacco products and ways to improve the efficacy and availability of cessation aids.
The creation of a permanent advisory body was recommended last year by a conference of experts on cigarette toxicity reduction. The Expert Committee on Nicotine and Tobacco Science is one aspect of a broad-based strategy to reduce tobacco use in Canada. The Minister indicated he will soon be announcing another important component - tough new labelling requirements for tobacco products.
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