You've got to be fucking kidding me!

Ontario passes private member's bill to outlaw candy-flavoured cigarillos
Keith Leslie, THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO - The Ontario legislature moved Thursday to outlaw the sale of candy-flavoured cigars that politicians said are clearly aimed at getting children hooked on tobacco by giving third and final reading to a private member's bill introduced just over a week ago.

The legislation to ban flavoured cigarillos, which was co-sponsored by Liberal backbencher Dave Levac and New Democrat France Gelinas, was approved in near record time, especially considering that private member's bills rarely become law in Ontario.
Gelinas, who was first elected to the legislature in 2007, said she was thrilled to be able to have an impact on such an important issue so quickly.
"Those are deadly products that were in the hands of our children, and I hope that weighed in the balance," she said after getting government support for the legislation.
"This is my first private member's bill and it will become law. This is phenomenal, and it's certainly a good feeling for me."

Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best said it's clear that tobacco companies are targeting young people by selling cigarillos in 21 flavours, including peach and cherry, for just $1 each in colourful packaging designed to appeal to kids.
"Anything that prevents kids from lighting up in the first place is a good thing," Best said. "And I believe that these cigarillos are indeed something that is very troublesome."
The bill to outlaw flavoured cigarillos and require that non-flavoured cigarillos be sold in packages of 20 passed unanimously in a voice vote Thursday, but is not expected to be proclaimed into law for another few months.

Cigarillos are exempt from anti-smoking regulations because they are wrapped in tobacco leaf, not paper, so are not considered cigarettes. About 80 million of them were sold in Canada in 2006, up from 50,000 in 2001.
Like cigarettes, cigarillos cannot be sold to minors, but until now, there was no restriction on manufacturers adding flavours to the products. Gelinas and Levac said they were able to buy dozens of the cigarillos at stores within two kilometres of the legislature in downtown Toronto.
Government sources said the cigarillo ban is exactly the type of bipartisan co-operation that Premier Dalton McGuinty was hoping for when the government changed the legislature's rules to allow for co-sponsoring of private member's bills.

However, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said the bill was intentionally designed by the government to detract attention from Ontario's faltering economy and job losses.
"People are losing their jobs, they're scared to death ... and we're dealing with these kinds of things here that are meant to be sideshows," Tory said.
"Mr. McGuinty brings in one sideshow after another to distract from the fact that he is doing nothing about the economy, nothing to provide any kind of plan on training and jobs."
Anti-smoking advocates, the Ontario Lung Association and the Canadian Cancer Society all expressed support for the ban on flavoured cigarillos.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised similar legislation to ban flavouring of cigarillos during this year's election campaign, but nothing was introduced in the brief sitting before Parliament was prorogued Thursday at Harper's request.

Seriously? Really? They've banned cigarellos?
Not only are cigarettes now hidden behind cupboards or curtains in any store where they are sold, they are now banning the sale of individual cigarellos. You know, cause non smoking kids just can't resist them......what next?