SASKATOON – The president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) wants tobacco control to be an issue that heats up this provincial election. On Wednesday, Dr. Mark Brown was calling for tighter legislation when it comes to e-cigarettes asking that they be regulated like traditional tobacco.
Representing 2,300 practicing physicians, the SMA would also like a ban on all flavoured tobacco as a way of preventing smoking among youth.
“The tobacco industry is targeting young people because they know that, if they can get you hooked at 14 or 15, they’ll probably have a client for life,” said Dr. Brown.
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The final change the group of doctors would like to see would be an outright ban on smoking all tobacco products, including shisha and hookah, in public spaces, both indoor and outdoor.
Since the cost of treating smoking-related illness, says Dr. Brown, far outweighs the revenue government gains from tobacco sales.
“We would like to hear from everybody, in terms of whether they see this as a priority and see what the candidates think.”
More than 10 years ago a smoking ban was put in place at indoor facilities in the province. SMA cites that since that time, smoking rates have dropped four per cent from 22 per cent to 18.
It was a small victory in terms of tobacco control since the group says other parts of the country like Alberta and Ontario have made more progress, while Saskatchewan has fallen behind.
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