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Prohibiting individuals born after a certain date from ever being able to legally purchase cigarettes, once seen as a radical way to reduce smoking rates, could soon become the norm on Prince Edward Island.

The government unveiled a five-year health and wellness plan on Tuesday that includes its intention to create a “tobacco-free generation” by permanently banning the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to people born after a certain date. The government did not propose a specific starting age for the new rules, but mentioned Jan. 1, 2009, as a cut-off date.

“This approach recognizes that most smokers begin in their teens and preventing youth initiation is the key to ending the tobacco epidemic,” states a consultation document on the proposed changes that was posted online this week.

If the proposed change is approved, it would make PEI the first jurisdiction in Canada – and one of the first in the world – to implement a permanent sales restriction based on age. Tobacco use remains a leading cause of death in PEI and beyond, with about 48,000 people in Canada dying each year as a result of its harmful effects.

New Zealand became the first country to approve such a change in 2022 and the ban was set to take effect this year. But a new government reversed the law last year. Last month, British MPs voted in favour of legislation that would ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009.

In Canada, a growing number of advocacy groups and even some public-health institutions, such as Ottawa Public Health, have called for a permanent ban on tobacco sales to people born after a certain date.

“This is a measure that takes into consideration the fact that the overwhelming majority of smokers began as teenagers or preteens,” said Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society.

According to PEI’s consultation document, the provincial government is also looking at restricting tobacco sales to specialty shops, a move designed to make cigarettes less accessible to the general public.

“This is groundbreaking in terms of what PEI is looking to do,” said Mr. Cunningham.

He noted that the proposed sales restriction would only apply to new stores, meaning that gas stations and convenience stores that already sell tobacco products would continue to be able to do so.

“But you’ve got to start somewhere,” he said. “Over time, it’s going to have a material impact and help people quit and also, if you have fewer stores, it makes it easier to enforce existing laws.”

The province already restricts the sale of vaping products to specialty retailers.

The federal government has a goal of reducing tobacco use in Canada to 5 per cent by 2035 through a series of measures, such as warning labels, cessation programs and more education on the harms of smoking. But many experts in tobacco policy say that without further measures, including bolder policies to address the addictive, harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine-based vaping products, Canada won’t reach that goal.

According to the federal government’s 2022 Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, about 11 per cent of people 15 and older are considered current smokers. About 18 per cent of those 15 and older are current vapers, which includes 30 per cent of teens aged 15 to 19 and 47.5 per cent of those aged 20 to 24.

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