A B.C. woman says it’s “offensive” that Canada’s largest advocacy group for seniors has teamed up with Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, a tobacco giant now promoting e-cigarettes. A tobacco researcher says it’s the latest effort by big tobacco to encourage unhealthy and addictive vaping.A B.C.
"It is such a shock to me that CARP would be acting as a shill for Big Tobacco," said Gould. "I just found that so offensive."RBH claims on its website that it wants to stop selling cigarettes by 2035 and has shifted its focus to vaping products. They don't emit smoke, but they do contain nicotine and according to Health Canada,
CARP president Rudy Buttignol dismissed Gould’s concerns that the association has partnered with a tobacco company, calling her ‘woke.’ in an email In addition to still selling cigarettes, RBH is also promoting vaping products and is behind a campaign called "Unsmoke Canada." Schwartz has examined the Unsmoke campaign, and believes it's just Big Tobacco's attempt to stay alive by promoting alternatives to cigarettes that he says can also have serious health consequences.
According to Schwartz, there are also "biomarkers of potential serious respiratory disease and potentially cardiac issues and cancer."