EDITOR:
This election, aggressive action is needed to curb tobacco use. On P.E.I., rates of youth smoking are moving in the wrong direction: up, not down.
Tobacco is the leading cause of disease and death on P.E.I. It remains our number one public health issue. Based on the number of Canadians it kills, tobacco should be treated as an epidemic.
It is well established that comprehensive, well-financed and sustained government strategies are highly effective at reducing smoking. The Canadian Cancer Society urges the provincial government to take bold action and implement measures to reduce tobacco use in P.E.I. to less than five per cent by 2035.
P.E.I. has made significant progress, but an enormous amount of work remains. The lives of a vast number of Islanders hang in the balance.
Cha Keliher
Board Member, Canadian Cancer Society
