Provincial Initiatives to Support a Smoke-Free
B.C.
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May 30, 2008
Ministry of Health
VICTORIA – May 31 is World No Tobacco Day
and this year’s focus is on Tobacco Free
Youth. Most smokers start before the age of 18
and, in the last two years, the Province has introduced
a number of initiatives focused on protecting children
and youth from the effects of tobacco use and on
promoting a healthier, smoke-free B.C.
- May 2008 – B.C. introduces legislation
that will make it illegal for any individual
to smoke in a motor vehicle when a child under
16 years old is present.
- March 2008 – B.C. implements new tobacco
control regulations that ban smoking in indoor
public spaces and workplaces and restrict the
way tobacco is promoted in-store, display and
sold.
- November 2007 – B.C. announces that
the new tobacco control regulations will take
effect on March 31, 2008.
- October 2007 – B.C. announces that
by October 2008, all health authorities in
the province will have fully implemented smoke-free
premise policies.
- September 2007 – A provincewide ban
on the use of tobacco products in schools and
on school grounds takes effect.
- April 2007 – Supreme Court of Canada
upholds a June 2005 Supreme Court ruling that
B.C. courts have jurisdiction of foreign tobacco
companies.
- March 2007 – Amendments are introduced
in the legislature to the Tobacco Sales Act
to limit the promotion and sale of tobacco
products and ban smoking in all indoor public
places, including schools and on school grounds.
The act is now called the Tobacco Control Act.
- January 2007 – B.C. announces that
it will provide nicotine replacement therapies
(NRTs) and counselling to British Columbians
on income assistance who want support with
quitting smoking through a $1.27-million temporary
pilot program called Quit Smoking Now!
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