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Lighting a Cigarette. Loading a Gun.

November 19, 2015 By Lena

Today, my heart hurts.

My heart hurts for the people of France, still reeling from the senseless violence and destruction that has forever impacted their bodies, minds, and spirits. My heart hurts for the people of Beirut, who faced the same destructive chaos just days before, with only a fraction of awareness and support from their allies around the world.

Yes, my heart hurts. But it is also very, very fearful.

Because we all know that Canada is not immune to the tragedies experienced by other countries. And every day, as I kiss my children goodbye and watch their little bodies bobble away with a spring in their step, I think of another mom, in another country, who loves her children just as fiercely; who has the same hopes and dreams – yet a very different promise for a brighter future. And even though I can’t fix the world, I can be aware of the violence happening in my own city.

Maybe even in my own backyard.
policWhile I’ve been obsessed with events happening a world away, I haven’t paid enough attention to the crisis over illegal tobacco in Ontario. And I’m not alone.

Almost half of Ontarians are unaware that illegal tobacco is fueling gun and drug trafficking.

In Canada, the production and sale of contraband cigarettes is on the rise with over 50 illegal factories across Ontario and Quebec, capable of producing up to 10,000 cigarettes every minute.

(10,000 cigarettes a minute. 10,000 illegal cigarettes a minute.)

Did You Know:

– The size of the illegal tobacco market in Ontario could be equivalent to 3 billion illegal cigarettes (15 million cartons).

– Estimated gross profit from illegal tobacco is $75 million dollars annually.

– The highly profitable sale of illegal cigarettes is funding criminal activities, including drug and gun trafficking benefiting approximately 175 organized crime groups and gangs in Canada (nearly half of which are based in central Canada).

– Approximately 1 in 3 cigarettes purchased in Ontario are illegal, compared to an average of 1 in 10 in other provinces.

Sick, sick, sick. That’s how I feel. How could I not have known? Why are so many Ontarians unaware? And most importantly, what can be done?

This year, Ontario took control of raw-leaf production to better monitor and control leaves intended for the legitimate industry. Additionally, earlier this month, the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT) launched an advertising campaign in Ontario to drive awareness of the production, distribution and sale of illegal tobacco and the impact it has on local communities.

That’s what the province is doing. Here’s what we can do. Learn more about the facts linking organized crime to the sale of illegal tobacco. StopIllegalTobacco.ca is an NCACT website, chock full of useful information (and some pretty startling statistics). Inform yourself, and your neighbours.
tobaccoJoin the discussion on Twitter, use the hashtag #StopIllegalTobacco.

Social media has transformed the way news reaches our eyes and ears. Remember, information is a weapon, too. And together, we can wield it in a way that puts an end to gun violence.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: #StopIllegalTobacco, gun violence, illegal tobacco, NCACT

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Darlene Schuller

    November 19, 2015 at 12:55 pm

    Wow, I had no idea. These numbers are staggering and very disturbing. It’s almost like Canadians are unknowingly funding crime :(

  2. Anne Taylor

    November 19, 2015 at 1:58 pm

    I had no idea this was happening in Ontario! Awful!

  3. Debbie Bashford

    November 20, 2015 at 6:19 am

    Add me to the list of having no idea this was going on!

  4. Treen Goodwin

    November 20, 2015 at 9:54 am

    Had no idea either wow , thats scary stuff :(

  5. kathy downey

    November 20, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    Wow,i am just has shocked,this really is something to think about

  6. Judy Cowan

    November 20, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    Wow, I had no idea it was this bad in Ontario :( Terrible!

  7. Athena

    November 20, 2015 at 11:16 pm

    It sends a powerful message.

  8. Chandra O'Connor

    November 21, 2015 at 5:01 am

    Very scary to think about.

  9. Stephanie LaPlante

    November 21, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    Wow, I actually had no idea and I live in Ontario.

  10. Lynda Cook

    November 21, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    Had no idea, this makes me even more proud to have quit smoking, when I was I was going out to the reserve and buying my smokes, haven’t been there for almost two years now!

  11. Margo b

    November 21, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    It is real sickening and people keep feeding into it & because of cigarette prices being so high, they tend to buy the cheap crap & fuel the crime. Pretty disgusting!!

  12. Omar A.

    November 21, 2015 at 5:49 pm

    I guess big Tobacco and the Province are worried how much this is costing them .Illegal guns are funded by the illicit drug trade to defend territory.The best way to protect our children and society from all this is to teach them how harmful smoking is wither legal or illegal and how detrimental drugs are to their health and to avoid both at all costs .

  13. Melinda L.

    December 8, 2015 at 3:49 pm

    I had no idea. The numbers are staggering

  14. DebH

    January 12, 2016 at 3:53 pm

    Wow had no idea this was this big in Ontario!

  15. Debbie White Beattie

    September 1, 2016 at 9:48 pm

    Although I quit 11 years I still think if the government tax so highly, people wouldn’t need to buy the illegal ones.

  16. kathy downey

    June 17, 2017 at 4:24 pm

    Pretty disgusting when we think about it but Government has taxed it so much people are finding a way to buy it cheap.I am so glad i no longer smoke it was a terrible habit !

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Lena Almeida

Toronto Blogger, Social Media Strategist for Listen to Lena Inc. Television & Radio Personality, Columnist and Speaker. Family Travel Expert. Star Wars Fanatic. Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion. Read More…

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