The chair of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit board says any message to help mitigate smoking is good.
Fabio Costante is reacting to the news that regulations that require warning labels to be printed on each individual cigarettes will be in effect starting today.
The new Health Canada regulations require for warning labels to be printed on individual cigarettes, making Canada the first country in the world to do so.
The goal of the labels is to help smokers kick the habit and to deter potential smokers from starting.
The words on every cigarette are written in English and French, and the writing ranges from warnings about harming children and damaging organs to causing impotence and leukemia.
Costante says anything that can be done to warn individuals of smoking risks should be exercised.
"Obviously we see the signs and the graphic photos on the cartons themselves, but in some instances if you're borrowing a smoke, or if someone is delivering out cigarettes, to have it actually on the cigarette itself may be another trigger point which may hopefully mitigate some of the cigarette smoking that we're seeing out there."
He says there wasn't much conversation on this roll out locally.
"I have to imagine that this role out was precipitated by perhaps studies, or some kind of sample study where they've seen it to be effective. I don't think they would have rolled this out without some kind of study in advance to say 'okay look, this is an effective measure to further put out the message that this is not a healthy way to live your life'."
Costante adds that there is now more focus on things that were being looked at before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Smoking was a really popular thing amongst some generations. I don't know if it's something that's continued along the younger generations, but we all know the health effects or the negative health effects around smoking and whatever message can be out there to mitigate against that I think is good."
Dozens of studies in Canada and elsewhere have supported the move to print warnings on each cigarette, with several countries, such as Australia and Norway, looking to follow Canada's lead.
Health Canada says king-size cigarettes will be the first to feature the warnings and will be sold in stores by the end of July 2024.
They're set to appear on regular-size cigarettes and little cigars with tipping paper and tubes by the end of April 2025.
-with files by AM800's Rob Hindi and the Canadian Press