TORONTO, Jan. 10,
2025 /CNW/ - Yesterday, Kory McDonald, Head of External Affairs,
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH) appeared before the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario's Standing Committee on
Finance and Economic Affairs to outline RBH's recommendations
for the 2025 Budget, focusing on a key recommendation to ban the
promotion of illegal tobacco products online. This change would
mirror recent changes the province made to the Cannabis Control
Act.
According to a recent report by Ernst and Young and commissioned
by the Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC), a growing number of online
websites sell and deliver contraband cigarettes anywhere in
Canada in violation of Canadian
laws. The products often include age and health warnings that
mirror past Health Canada requirements on labelling to give an air
of legitimacy. Some websites even offer volume discounts for more
than one carton purchased. The CICC report cites
www.nativecigarettes.ca and www.selectsmokes.se as examples of
these sites.
Contraband tobacco represents between 39 and 50 per cent of the
total tobacco market in Ontario
–meaning that potentially 1 out of every 2 cigarettes sold in our
province are illegal. As a direct result of the contraband tobacco
market, Ontario lost between
$990 million and $1.7 billion in potential tobacco tax revenues
between 2019 and 2022.
Ontario's illicit tobacco
market is controlled by, and funds organized crime. Criminal groups
involved in contraband tobacco use profits generated from the
contraband tobacco trade to fund other illegal activities,
including guns and drug trafficking, mostly across the USA / Canada
border.
Additional Budget 2025 recommendations made by RBH include
measures to make smoke-free alternatives more widely available to
smokers and an education campaign targeted towards smokers on the
impact of contraband tobacco sales on community safety.
QUOTE
"Banning the advertisement of illegal tobacco online is a
common-sense step that can have a big impact in terms of slowing
the continued growth of the contraband tobacco market and keeping
Ontarians safe. As well, there's a need for government to
acknowledge harm-reduced product categories within the Tobacco Tax
Act to encourage adult consumers to switch to potentially less
harmful alternatives to cigarettes. - Kory McDonald, Head, External Affairs,
RBH
To learn more about RBH, visit: https://www.rbhinc.ca/
About Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH), an affiliate of Philip
Morris International Inc., is one of Canada's leading tobacco and nicotine
companies and is working to deliver a smoke-free future. RBH is
committed to sustainability and creating a positive impact on
communities, the economy, and the environment. Currently, RBH
employs nearly 800 people across the country with its headquarters
in Toronto and a factory in Québec
City. Discover more about the company at
https://www.rbhinc.ca/ and stay updated on RBH's
transformation by following Twitter and LinkedIn.
SOURCE Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.
