Trading Barbs: Canada Tries to Outlaw U.S. Cigarettes

(The Hill – Ian Swanson)

Tobacco country lawmakers are seething over a bill that would outlaw U.S. cigarettes in Canada. Bill C-32, which has been approved by Canada’s House of Commons but not the Senate, would ban the use of all flavorings, except menthol, in all cigarettes.

The controversial legislation is being considered amid a debate over “Buy American” language in the $787 stimulus bill that required U.S. content in projects as long as that did not violate trade deals.

The Canadian bill’s intent is to make tobacco products less affordable and accessible to young people by prohibiting candy-flavorings in cigarettes used to turn children on to smoking.

But the ban on flavorings would also include mild flavorings used in the processing of American-blend cigarettes made from burley tobacco. The flavorings are intended to make the products taste less harsh and are not detectable to smokers, according to Roger Quarles, president of the Kentucky’s Burley Tobacco Cooperative. Read more here.