Campaign Principles

Supporters of the Imagine! A Smoke-Free BC Campaign share the following 11 key beliefs:

1. 100% smoke-free public places --- including outdoor patios, parks and beaches.
2. Prohibition of smoking in motor vehicles when a person under the age of 19 is present.
3. Increased smoke-free multi-unit dwelling options, such as apartment & condominiums.
4. Prohibition of tobacco sales in pharmacies.
5. Subsidized Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and pharmacotherapy for BC smokers ready to quit.
6. Increased tobacco taxes, which is a proven tobacco prevention and reduction strategy.
7. Increased prevention and cessation efforts to support individuals within groups where smoking rates are very high, including individuals with mental health and addictions issues and Aboriginal peoples. These efforts will still respect the traditional use of tobacco products by Aboriginal people.
8. Ongoing mass media campaigns to counter tobacco company marketing and promotional activities, including those related to spit tobacco. Tobacco companies are increasingly marketing it in the face of smoking bans.
9. Restricting the sale of tobacco products only to regulated retail outlets, much like that for alcohol.
10. Encourage, through education, no smoking in homes when children are present.
11. Funding of tobacco control program using monies from tobacco litigation court judgments or settlements.

1. IMAGINE! 100% smoke-free public places --- including outdoor patios,

parks and beaches.

Who would have thought that cities and towns in Alberta would make their patios smoke-free? Now, it is the norm in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and province-wide in Alberta, as well as other cities in Saskatchewan and Ontario. The City of Vancouver voted in mid-2007 to make outdoor patios smoke-free in all restaurants and bars following the first smoke-free patios municipal bylaw in BC implemented in the Capital Regional District on July 1, 2007. The City of White Rock is following suit in 2008.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

2. IMAGINE! Prohibition of smoking in motor vehicles when a person

under the age of 19 is present.

Who would have thought that several jurisdictions in North America would make it illegal to smoke in a vehicle when children are present? Laws prohibiting smoking in vehicles carrying children have been adopted in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, the Canadian municipality of Wolfville (Nova Scotia), the U.S. states of California, Arkansas and Louisiana, the U.S. municipalities of Bangor (Maine), Keyport (New Jersey), and Rockland County (New York), as well as Puerto Rico and the Australian states of South Australia and Tasmania. Bills are currently before several US state legislatures and the South African Parliament. The Governments of the Australian Capital Territory and the state of New South Wales are also considering bringing forward such legislation. And, private members' bills have been introduced in BC and Ontario. Subsequently, the Government of British Columbia announced in its throne speech on February 12, 2008 that it intends to follow the lead of these jurisdictions by introducing legislation to prohibit smoking in vehicles when a child is present. The tobacco control community in BC needs to provide its support in ensuring that the legislation includes vehicles when any person under the age of 19 is present, that it is passed and implemented in a timely manner, and that it is effectively enforced.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

3. IMAGINE! Increased smoke-free multi-unit dwelling options,

such as apartment & condominiums.

Who would have thought that apartments, condominiums and non-profit housing associations would implement smoke-free policies? Now, rental agencies such as Globe General Agencies in Winnipeg have made 5,000 units smoke-free; a condominium project on Vancouver's North Shore was purposely built to be smoke-free; and a non-profit housing project in Esquimalt, Grafton Lodge, was built to be 100% smoke-free and has been since April 2004.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

4. IMAGINE! Prohibition of tobacco sales in pharmacies.

Who would have thought that tobacco products would still be permitted to be sold in pharmacies or places that promote health and help people battle their addictions? Now, seven provinces and two territories have banned the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies, including Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and all Atlantic provinces.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

5. IMAGINE! Subsidized Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

and pharmacotherapy for BC smokers ready to quit.

Who would have ever thought that NRT would be freely available to all people who require it to support their cessation efforts? Now, Quebec and Nova Scotia provide financial support for NRT. With the recent addition of Champix as a proven cessation therapy, this product, as well as Zyban, should also be freely available to those who would benefit from its availability.

Who would have thought a coordinated community response to help quitting smoking would be so successful? In some communities in Northern BC, Nicotine Intervention Counselling Centres are available to provide individuals with the behavioural and counselling supports that they need to help them quit smoking.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

6. IMAGINE! Increased tobacco taxes, which is a proven tobacco

prevention and reduction strategy.

Who would have known increasing tobacco taxes would be one of the most effective approaches to reducing tobacco rates and consumption in adolescents and young adults? While BC previously led the country with the highest taxes on tobacco products, we are now lagging behind many other jurisdictions in Canada.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

7. IMAGINE! Increased prevention and cessation efforts to support individuals

within groups where smoking rates are very high, including individuals

with mental health and addictions issues, and Aboriginal peoples. These efforts will

still respect the traditional use of tobacco products by Aboriginal people.

Who would have thought that tobacco use among individuals with mental health and addictions issues would be double that of the provincial smoking prevalence rate in BC? While a population health approach is important, BC should aggressively target this high risk population.

Who would have thought that tobacco use among Aboriginal people could reach up to three times the provincial smoking prevalence rate in BC? While a population approach is important, BC should aggressively target high-risk groups, especially Aboriginal communities.

Who would have thought populations such as the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community, and young adults, would exhibit higher than average smoking rates? Efforts should be made to understand and address the reasons for higher smoking rates among these populations.

Who would have thought that sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status would play a role in one's response to tobacco control policies? Those dealing with tobacco control policies need to understand these sensitivities to effectively address tobacco use.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

8. IMAGINE! Ongoing mass media campaigns to counter tobacco company marketing

and promotional activities, including those related to spit tobacco.

Tobacco companies are increasingly marketing it in the face of smoking bans.

Who would have thought that mass media campaigns, funded with tobacco litigation settlement funds in California and Massachusetts, would see significant reductions in tobacco use and uptake among youth and adults for the period that campaigns were operating? BC needs to support province-wide, on-going and well-funded media campaigns for counter-marketing efforts.

Who would have thought that the use of spit tobacco, traditionally thought of as a product used solely by older men, would be increasing among youth and young adults? Currently spit tobacco use trends indicate that certain segments of the population are at higher risk for spit tobacco use in BC, especially the First Nations and rural communities, and those young males who participate in organized sports such as hockey and baseball where spit tobacco use has been historically high. BC should step up efforts to address this issue, especially in light of increasing smoking bans, which could result in smokers turning to spit tobacco.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

9. IMAGINE! Restricting the sale of tobacco products only to regulated

retail outlets, much like that for alcohol.

Who could imagine tobacco sales being exactly like that of alcohol sales? Many of the regulations surrounding the sale and marketing of tobacco in BC are the same as those for another drug in BC, namely alcohol. Yet the actual sale of alcohol is much more regulated, only in licensed retail outlets where minors are not allowed access.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

10. IMAGINE! Encourage, through education, no smoking in homes when

children are present.

Who would have thought there would be a growing trend for people deciding to make their homes smoke-free? Many jurisdictions worldwide have mounted significant educational campaigns to inform the public of the added dangers of second-hand smoke in confined spaces such as homes, especially when children are involved.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC

11. IMAGINE! Funding of tobacco control program using monies

from tobacco litigation court judgments or settlements.

Who would have thought that in the US, the tobacco industry would have agreed, in out-of-court settlements, to pay US$246 billion over 25 years to 50 state governments? Several US states started the charge of litigation against tobacco companies. BC took the initial lead in Canada to recover health care costs from big tobacco. Many other provinces have since followed suit.

Who would have thought that despite the colossal damage caused by tobacco use - the leading cause of preventable disease and death - that funding levels would still be drastically below what is recommended by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC)? The CDC, on average, recommends that jurisdictions spend $6 to $17 per capita minimum on tobacco control activities in provinces the size of BC. The Ministry of Health allocates less than $1.50 per capita in funding for tobacco control activities. Yet, the province collects more than $160 per capita in tobacco taxes.

IMAGINE! A Smoke-Free BC