Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (June 24/02) - Nunavut Health Minister Ed Picco is taking another step to turn smoking into an unacceptable habit in the territory.

The Department of Health and Social Services is in the preliminary stages of drafting anti-smoking legislation. Picco hopes to pass it during the fall session in Panniqtuuq.

Nunavut is now guided by the Federal Tobacco Act, which determines how cigarettes are packaged and prohibits retailers from selling cigarettes to those under 18.

Picco said the territorial legislation would complement this act and enforce strict penalizes on those who sell cigarettes to minors.

"We want to make the procurement of smoking harder," he said.

It could also limit where cigarettes are sold and how products are displayed.

"One way of denormalizing smoking is not making smoking available," he said. "Should cigarettes be available at places where children hang out? That's what we are looking at."

It's generally up to municipalities to ban smoking in restaurants and bars.

But the territory's legislation could complement municipal bylaws and the federal law. For example, it may strengthen no-smoking rules in public buildings, such as health centres and schools, by banning smoking within a certain distance of these places.

All 10 provinces have smoking laws. But the three territories -- where smoking rates are highest in the country have none -- though the NWT is also working on one.

Nunavut's legislation is part of Picco's two-year-old strategy to "denormalize" smoking. So far, the strategy has targeted young people with graphic posters, commercials and educational programs in schools.

He said a strengthening of anti-smoking programs will accompany the legislation.

"That's part of the ongoing strategy," he said. "If you can get people not to smoke, you are halfway there. It's a lot harder to get people to quit smoking."