Achi news desk-
The cigarette industry and an alliance of retailers are calling on the federal government to take action against contraband cigarettes, which are hurting small business owners and exposing young people to smoking.
At the Alberta Chamber of Commerce’s annual general meeting in Red Deer on Friday, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. helped. (RBH) to lead a call on the federal government to take action to control the problem.
Officials said the seizure of 35 million contraband cigarettes over the past nine months shows how critical appropriate action is.
“We know that contraband is directly controlled by gangs and other criminal organisations, and often when contraband tobacco is seized, illegal drugs including cocaine and fentanyl are also found,” he said. Ron Bell, stop illegal trade with RBH.
“Federal leadership, coordination and resources are needed to end this organized criminal activity associated with the trafficking of firearms and drugs, and potentially placing cigarettes in the hands of young people.”
RBH says a recent study suggests up to 45 per cent of cigarettes in BC are contraband and one in two cigarettes in Ontario are sold by organized crime groups.
The company says action has already been taken in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
“Alberta announced a new task force to tackle contraband tobacco in its 2024 budget, Saskatchewan recently passed Bill 29 Tobacco Tax Reform Act which includes new contraband enforcement measures and Ontario’s 2024 budget took steps to increase penalties for offenders who n being caught selling contraband.”
However, RBH says “federal coordination, leadership and resources” are needed to combat the issue effectively.
