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signs getting smaller by Pamela
Cowan / Regina Leader Post When the Tobacco Control Act comes into effect in the next few weeks, only provincial or federal signage warning it is illegal to sell tobacco to minors can be posted in retail outlets -- a change that has the tobacco industry fuming. "That means that a program like Operation ID, which has been around since 1996, that was developed by retailers who approached the tobacco manufacturers and said, 'We want a program that will help us to comply with a new law that was introduced by the federal government -- we need training tools and support, some signage for our stores' will be discontinued," said Helene Ouellet, national director of Operation ID. Funded by the tobacco companies, Operation ID kits have been sent to over 90,000 Canadian retailers, 3,000 in Saskatchewan. The kits include posters, counter cards, window stickers and material to help store owners educate employees about selling tobacco to minors. In contrast to the much-larger Operation ID posters, provincial signage will be five inches by three inches in size. "Today, four out of five retailers are complying versus three out of 10, six years ago," Ouellet said. "That's not just Operation ID at work, that's good retailer education program and more enforcement and Operation ID supports fair enforcement of the law." Discontinuing Operation ID is politically motivated, said David Laundy, western vice-president for the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers' Council. "This is part of the politics of tobacco in this country, where the buzz word is called denormalization," Laundy said. "They want to denormalize tobacco and they think that by denormalizing or making tobacco companies appear to be completely socially unacceptable, this will translate into fewer people using the product." The province's goal is to denormalize tobacco as a product, said Health Minister John Nilson. He believes Saskatchewan will be the first province with tobacco signage legislation and he said tobacco companies oppose the change because it interferes with their "national marketing campaign." "These programs really are world-wide marketing techniques," Nilson said. "They could spend some time actually working with the various groups who have looked at ways of effectively stopping the smoking of cigarettes, but they want to make them into an adult product which then lures kids to be adults," he said. "We don't want in any way to condone a marketing strategy of the tobacco companies." Tobacco industry lobbyists have been trying to minimize the number of tobacco reduction laws, he said. "(Operation ID) has a double effect. One is trying to minimize the kinds of laws that can put a damper on their sales and also it's cloaked as a positive thing. It allows them to say, 'brought to you by the tobacco industry'." Even an Operation ID offer to remove any references to tobacco companies didn't persuade Nilson to add Operation ID posters to the accepted signage. "We don't need those signs here," Nilson said. "If you want to continue your work of educating employees, which is commendable, do it in a humble fashion -- not in a fashion that allows you to sell more cigarettes." |