However, there are specific populations, particularly First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples and Francophones for which smoking rates remain significantly higher. The health risks of smoking, for smokers and non-smokers, are well established and numerous. Other forms of tobacco, such as smokeless tobacco, are also harmful to health. The impact on Canadians reaches beyond health, to societal costs, including direct health care costs, lost productivity and foregone household income.
Tobacco is unlike other legally available consumer products.
The nicotine in tobacco products makes the products inherently addictive. Other chemicals, released in tobacco smoke, or released in saliva in the case of chewing tobacco, makes tobacco hazardous. Increases in smoking since 1993, particularly among teens and young adults, are alarming given the fact that young people can develop an addiction with lifelong consequences. Effective tobacco control requires partners to work together towards common goals and strategic directions. It requires integration, coordination and complementarity of a diverse array of strategies.