The Manitoba government is allocating $1 million annually for a new tobacco control initiative aimed at helping Manitobans to quit smoking by providing free nicotine replacement therapy products to eligible smokers.
The province is stepping up its fight against tobacco use by offering grants of up to $100,000 for non-government organizations (NGOs) to work on projects focused on preventing youth from starting to smoke and helping smokers quit.
The province will build on its ongoing commitment to reduce smoking rates and protect the health of Manitobans by introducing proposed amendments to the Non-Smokers Health Protection Act that would ban the sale of flavoured tobacco products, including cigars and cigarettes, marketed to children.
Members of the Manitoba Finance Special Investigation Unit and RCMP officers seized 858,800 contraband cigarettes, a vehicle and a trailer on Friday, February 7, 2014.
On August 14, 2013, Manitoba Finance Taxation Division Special Investigations Unit and the Winnipeg Police Service stopped and detained two men from the RM of Rosser in possession of contraband tobacco products.
For many smokers, the thought of saving a few dollars is enough to buy contraband tobacco. What smokers must realize is that there are serious consequences if tobacco products are not purchased or sold legally.
Manitoba Finance reports that two men received heavy financial penalties this past month, after being convicted at trial of possession of non-Manitoba-marked cigarettes.
Manitoba is suing the major tobacco companies to recover the costs of providing health-care services for tobacco-related illness.
May 31 is World No Tobacco Day and is marked every year by the World Health Organization to draw attention to the global tobacco epidemic.
The province is continuing efforts to reduce the use of tobacco in Manitoba by introducing legislation that would ban the supply of tobacco products in pharmacies and health-care facilities, as well as prohibit the sale of tobacco products from vending machines.
