CMA appalled by reintroduction of tobacco ads

The CMA says it is appalled by tobacco advertisements that began reappearing in bus shelters, on television and in various publications in February after being absent for almost a decade. In a news release, CMA president Dr. Jack Armstrong said the ads, the first to appear since the Supreme Court ruled that a ban on tobacco advertising is unconstitutional, were "particularly offensive because they are clearly targeting youth. The CMA and doctors across the country are very disappointed to see tobacco ads [reappear]."

In Ottawa, some ads were initially placed in bus shelters near schools, but they were quickly removed in the wake of complaints by the public, physicians and politicians. Armstrong said the ads encourage young people to start smoking, "a blatant violation of the tobacco industry's own voluntary code of ethics. It is clear that voluntary guidelines aren't working." The CMA urged Health Minister David Dingwall to move swiftly to develop advertising legislation that was promised in the government's blueprint for tobacco control.

| CMAJ April 15, 1996 (vol 154, no 8) |