A new set of regulations from Health Canada requiring warning labels on individual cigarettes is set to take effect tomorrow, Tuesday.

This step, which was announced earlier this year, makes Canada the first country in the world to take this action in the ongoing efforts to help smokers quit the habit.

The wording will be present on every cigarette, written in both English and French, warning children and teenagers that smoking causes organ damage, sexual dysfunction, and leukemia.

Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, predicted that the labels will deter teenagers who are inclined to take up the habit and prompt nicotine-dependent parents who are looking to fight it.

He said in a phone interview, "Often children are the ones who encourage their parents to quit, and this provides new information and messages."

He also pointed out that dozens of studies in Canada and elsewhere demonstrate the effectiveness of warnings printed on every cigarette.

The then Health Minister, Jean-Yves Duclos, stated in a statement released on May 31 announcing the new warning labels that tobacco use remains one of Canada’s top public health issues and the leading preventable cause of disease and early death in the country.

Advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco are banned in Canada, and warnings on cigarette packages have been in place since 1972. In 2001, Canada became the first country to require tobacco companies to print pictorial warnings on cigarette packages and include entries with health-promoting messages. More than 130 countries have since followed suit, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

On the other hand, the National Coalition Against Tobacco warned in June that cheap, colorful black market packages free of health warnings - federal regulations prohibit packaging that includes brand colors or trademarks - attract young smokers and funnel more money to organized crime.

A significant portion of the coalition's funding comes from the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers Council, which consists of three of the largest active cigarette companies in Canada: Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc., Imperial Tobacco Canada, and JTI-Macdonald Corp.

In this regard, Cunningham noted that while significant tax increases or a complete sales ban would indeed benefit the black market, gradual price increases and stricter messaging could reduce smoking rates.

He said of the manufacturers, "The only real reason they oppose something is that it will result in a decline in sales - and that is precisely the goal."

For its part, Health Canada stated that oversized cigarettes will be the first to display the warnings and will be sold in stores by the end of July 2024, followed by regular-sized cigarettes and little cigars with papers and tubes by the end of April 2025. Explicit statements, including "Tobacco smoke harms children" and "Cigarettes cause cancer," will be among the first six messages.

The Canadian Cancer Society and other advocacy groups are also calling for a comprehensive strategy to promote taxes, legislation, and programming to reduce smoking rates - Health Canada’s target is less than five percent of the population aged over 15 by 2035.