Email from Toby Barrett, MPP
Queen’s Park – In an open letter to Ontario’s Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson, the Ontario Convenience Stores Association (OCSA) accuses the Minister of turning a “blind eye to an ever growing illegal tobacco (contraband) problem.”
“Perhaps now that I’m being joined by OCSA, retailers and health groups, the McGuinty government will come up with a plan to crack down on the illegal trade,” Barrett said. “I’ve been accused of playing politics with this issue – the numbers prove the case.”
“Today the Minister told the Ontario Legislature that tobacco use has dropped 18 per cent,” said MPP Toby Barrett. “He knows that when you factor in the out of control illicit tobacco market, tobacco use has dropped a mere 2 per cent.”
According to Bryans, research conducted recently points to almost one quarter of all tobacco sold in the province as being illegal. This illegal tobacco is primarily trafficked and sold by organized crime and the profit is often used to fund street drugs and buy weapons.
