Canada wants fewer smokers

Ottawa — Canada said Monday it aims to bring the number of smokers down from 19% of the population to 12% by 2011, through tougher smoking bans and by clamping down on cigarette smuggling.

"Reaching a 12% smoking rate is a very ambitious goal, but it is by no means unrealistic," said Health Minister Tony Clement.

"Seeing the great progress we have made over the past few years, I am confident that by putting our renewed Federal Tobacco Control Strategy into action, we can achieve this goal," he added.

The government’s plan is to reduce the current 15 percent smoking rate among 15- to 19-year-olds to nine percent, which could prove difficult because it is the only age group that has not cut back on smoking in the past few years.

According to the Ministry of Health, some five million of Canada’s 32.8 million people are smokers, and 37,000 die from tobacco use each year. — AFP


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Canada wants fewer smokers