Tobacco
is the only consumer product that causes disease, disability and death
when used exactly as intended.
Tobacco eventually kills half of the people who get hooked on it,
and this year, tobacco will kill about 2,000 Manitobans.
The good news is that those who make it to adulthood without using
tobacco will probably stay tobacco-free for life!
The
Manitoba Provincial Tobacco Control Strategy
document shows how Healthy Living Manitoba is working to reduce
the devastating impact tobacco use has on the health and well-being
of many Manitobans.
In 1999 federal, provincial and territorial governments developed
a national strategy to reduce tobacco use and agreed upon four goals
including:
- preventing youth from starting to smoke;
- protecting non-smokers from exposure to second-hand smoke;
- helping smokers quit; and
- denormalizing tobacco use through influencing social norms.
Healthy Living Manitoba is committed to reducing the use of tobacco
in this province through the use of:
- policy and legislation;
- public education;
- industry accountability and product control;
- research; and
- building and supporting capacity for action.
Manitoba has taken a coordinated, comprehensive approach to reduce
smoking-related disease, disability and death in Manitoba.
On March 2, 2004, the
Minister of Healthy Living introduced Bill 21 in the Legislature.
This bill will prohibit smoking in enclosed public and indoor workplaces
where the government has clear jurisdiction, effective October 1,
2004. This commitment will help protect Manitobans from exposure
to second-hand smoke and follows the recommendations in the
All Party Task Force Report on Environmental Tobacco Smoke.
Although much remains to be done, there are encouraging signs that
our efforts are making a difference. The Canadian Tobacco
Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) indicates that smoking amongst Manitobans
15 years of age and older has gone from 26 per cent in 2001 to 21
per cent in 2003.
To learn more, please visit the following sites:
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