Public health units across Ontario work to reduce the harm caused by commercial tobacco products.
North East Tobacco Control Area Network
The North East Tobacco Control Area Network (NE TCAN) supports the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy.
The strategy is a multi-level comprehensive tobacco control strategy which aims to eliminate tobacco related illness and death by:
- preventing experimentation and use among youth and young adults,
- increasing and supporting cessation/quit attempts, and;
- protecting the health of people.
Quitting smoking or vaping
Quitting can be hard, but every year thousands of people go tobacco free. Did you know that most people don’t quit on their first try? With every quit attempt, you learn more about yourself and what works for you, making it easier to quit next time.
Don’t quit quitting!
You will start seeing health benefits soon after your last cigarette.
- 20 minutes: your heart rate and blood pressure drop
- 8 hours : your carbon monoxide levels drop, your oxygen levels improve
- 24 hours: your risk of having a heart attack starts to drop
- 48 hours: your sense of smell and taste start to improve
- 2 weeks to 3 months: your lungs are working up to 30% better than before and you may be breathing easier
- 1 year: your risk of heart disease is cut in half
- 5 years: your risk of a stroke is now the same as a non-smoker
- 10 years: your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half and your risk of developing mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and/or pancreas cancers decreases
- 15 years: your risk of heart disease is like that of a non-smoker
Make a quit plan
The best way to quit smoking or vaping is with help. Seeking help increases your chances of quitting and remaining nicotine free. There are plenty of resources and supports available to assist you.
- Pick a date, make a quit plan, and give it a try!
- Use this calculator to find out how much money you can save.
- What is in a cigarette?
- Manage your withdrawal symptoms.
- 7 tips to lower your risk when using nicotine
Quit stories
Check out these #QuitStories from community members just like you.
Commercial tobacco and nicotine addiction
Tobacco products contain nicotine, a very addictive drug. Your brain and body quickly get used to the effects of nicotine and need more and more to avoid withdrawal symptoms like having trouble concentrating or feeling irritable. Nicotine can also be found in vaping products and increases the risks of further nicotine addiction in youth and young adults.
It is important to note that commercial tobacco is tobacco that is grown, manufactured, and sold for profit by the tobacco industry. It does not include traditional tobacco.
Traditional tobacco
Traditional tobacco, also known as ceremonial or sacred tobacco, is very different from commercial tobacco. Traditional tobacco has been used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years as a sacred medicine and is an important part of culture and spiritual connectedness. To learn more, visit Tobacco Wise (Cancer Care Ontario).