From January 14 to 20, Tobacco-Free Quebec Week invites us to reflect on a persistent and troubling reality: the ongoing influence of tobacco on our lives and those of our loved ones.
Let's use this campaign to openly discuss smoking and its dangers. It is also an opportunity to support those who want to break free from nicotine addiction.
Despite the immense progress made in recent years in the fight against smoking, tobacco continues to debilitate life and remains the leading cause of preventable death. 13,000 people die in Quebec every year.
Extremely harmful product
Currently, 975,900 people in Quebec are dependent on a product that is extremely harmful to their health. In addition to being a major risk factor for various types of cancer, tobacco causes many other diseases. Lives are destroyed, dreams are shattered, families are torn apart. We cannot ignore the harmful role of the tobacco industry. Despite the devastating consequences of its products, the company continues to thrive.
Beyond statistics and medical facts, every person who smokes is a story, a face, a friend or a family member. Every death means lives cut short, families grieving and moments lost. Parents who don't have enough energy to play with their children, people who are suffering because they need a tracheostomy or are waiting for an operation.
Seeks
We are in the 47th edition of Week for a Tobacco-Free Quebec and are outraged that this industry continues to adapt its strategies and develop new products to get people addicted to nicotine. For more than 50 years, this industry has been lying, hiding the truth, and systematically trivializing and trivializing the dangers associated with tobacco.
In their ruling on March 1, 2019, five judges of the Quebec Court of Appeal confirmed that tobacco companies had jointly developed a disinformation program aimed at undermining any information contrary to their interests. They have therefore intentionally and maliciously perpetuated false scientific controversies and developed misleading advertising strategies with the aim of lying to the public.
That's why we must step up the fight against tobacco more than ever so that this industry stops enriching itself at the expense of the health and well-being of our community. Let us be wary of an evil industry that tries every means possible to make us believe that it cares about our well-being and public health.
The co-signatories:
Photo provided by Annie Papageorgiou
Annie Papageorgiou, director general of the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health
Michelle Brisebois, Senior Vice-President, Quebec, Heart & Stroke
Dr. Liliane Malczewski, President of the Order of Dentists of Quebec
Jean-François Lortie, HD, B.Ed., President of the Order of Dental Hygienists of Quebec
Karine Grondin, Owner, FCSRT, President of the Professional Order of Respiratory Therapists of Quebec
David Raynaud, Senior Manager – Public Advocacy, Canadian Cancer Society