National Non-Smoking Week is January 18 to 24
The National Non-Smoking Week takes place Sunday, January 18 to Saturday, January 24 across Canada.
The Canadian Cancer Society says this annual campaign since 1977, educates Canadians on the health effects of smoking and supports them to quit.
The Society says tobacco is the leading preventable cause of disease and death which kills 46,000 Canadians each year, including about 30 per cent of all cancer deaths.
There are 3.6 million people in Canada smoke which is 11 per cent of the population, according to a 2024 Canadian Community Health Survey.
That number is down substantially from 50 per cent of Canadians who smoked in 1965.
The goal of the Society is to achieve under 5 per cent tobacco users by 2035.
They say there’s also a tremendous concern about youth becoming addicted to e-cigarettes.
According to a 2023 Canadian Student Alcohol and Drugs Survey, a growing major concern is 27 per cent of grade 12 students are vaping in Canada,
Direct health care costs from tobacco in Canada total $5.4 billion per year.
Provinces and territories are expected to collectively receive $24.7 billion in funds from the 2025 tobacco lawsuit settlement over time, which provides the opportunity to strengthen the government’s tobacco control strategies.