By Brady Bateman

UPDATED:Teen smoking a concern for Saskatchewan government

Nov 2, 2018 | 2:00 PM

A recent survey completed by Statistics Canada has revealed teenagers in Saskatchewan are smoking at rates much higher than the national average, and the Canadian Cancer Society believes the Saskatchewan government is partially to blame.

The survey found that 22 per cent of Saskatchewan teenagers between the ages of 15 to 19 have smoked cigarettes, which is far above the national average of only eight per cent.

Representatives from the Canadian Cancer Society have criticized the Saskatchewan government for the lack of updated legislation when it comes to tobacco products in the province and have asked the public to contact their local MLA to prompt change.

Speaking to reporters, Health Minister Jim Reiter said youth smoking was an issue the Saskatchewan government was heavily invested in, and added he was troubled by the recent survey results, but believed the government was taking steps in the right direction to lower the numbers.

“We’ve done a number of things since our time in government, we’ve made it illegal for pharmacies to sell tobacco, we’ve made it illegal for people to smoke in a vehicle with a child, and we’ve made it illegal to smoke on school grounds,” Reiter said. “We’ve done a number of things but I’m going to be meeting in the next while with the Canadian Cancer Society to sit down and chat about it.”

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Prince Albert is among only a few select cities in the province that has made recent updates to smoking laws, with recent changes making it illegal to smoke within nine metres of outdoor spectator areas, playground and other recreational areas.

Another change in the province was the introduction of a law making all public housing within the province smoke free, a decision which representatives from the Canadian Cancer Society have said is a start to bringing Saskatchewan up to par with the rest of the country.

Health Minister Reiters added he is open to discussions with the Canadian Cancer Society and said he wants to have further discussions in the future about flavoured tobacco products.

“I’ve lost people that I cared about because of smoking and it troubles me very greatly,” Reiter said. “Anything that we can do to encourage education or awareness I’m certainly open to that.”

paNOW reached out to the government on some further specific questions and asked if there would be an increase in taxes on tobacco products. In an emailed response Reiter said “the cigarette tax rate in Saskatchewan is up 48% compared to a decade ago, and our cigarette tax is among the highest in the country.  Any changes to the current rate would have to be considered as part of the annual provincial budget process in the spring.”

Asked what approach the Saskatchewan government believed would be the most advantageous to combat youth smoking rates he said ,” reducing tobacco use by youth will require a variety of measures and approaches – there is no single solution that will work for everyone. Saskatchewan has supported a range of activities aimed at protecting youth from tobacco and encouraging them to make healthy lifestyle choices.”

The Stats Canada survey was held from October 2016 to June 2017 and also revealed the smoking rate for people in Saskatchewan aged 15 is around 18 per cent, compared to a national average of 15 per cent. It also showed Saskatchewan leads the country with the highest rate of teen smokers, followed by Prince Edward Island and Manitoba.

Donna Pasiechnik, a health policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, said in an interview with paNOW earlier this week she believes continued increases on tax rates for tobacco products could make a notable impact, and she also believes the government will need to make not one, but several changes in legislation to see a decrease in youth smoking numbers.

Brady.bateman@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TheDigitalBirdy