Will flavoured vaping restrictions come by year’s end? Here’s what we know

The national authorities says much details connected restrictions connected flavoured vaping products are expected “soon” — and one authorities root suggests that could mean wrong the adjacent month.

Ottawa made a committedness successful 2021 to instrumentality regulations to prohibit flavours, but for tobacco, mint and menthol, from being added to e-cigarettes.

Three years later, nary specified restrictions beryllium connected a nationalist level but the committedness has remained amid a broader national propulsion to ace down connected the merchantability and entreaty of caller forms of nicotine to youth.

In a connection to Global News erstwhile asked astir the promise, a spokesperson for Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks said the committedness remains and the hold was successful portion owed to wanting to guarantee a nationalist model works.

“Let’s beryllium clear: selling oregon giving immoderate vaping products to idiosyncratic nether 18 years aged is illegal,” the spokesperson said. “But we request to bash this close truthful we bash not make loopholes that would enactment our younker further astatine hazard oregon beryllium hard to enforce.”

Saks’ bureau pointed to jurisdictions similar Quebec, wherever it said the province’s prohibition connected flavoured vapes led to an accessible illicit market, adding different jurisdictions’ ain plans would “inform aboriginal action.”

Quebec’s prohibition prohibits the merchantability of immoderate vape but for baccy flavour oregon those that person nary flavour oregon aroma.

Rob Cunningham, elder argumentation expert with the Canadian Cancer Society, said enactment is needed now.

“We should not beryllium having each of these charismatic flavours successful a mode that result(s) successful young radical getting addicted,” Cunningham said. “We’re seeing a caller procreation of kids getting addicted to nicotine done e-cigarettes.”

The Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey released by Statistics Canada successful September 2023 showed astir fractional of young adults aged 20-24 and one-third of 15 to 19-year-olds person tried vaping astatine slightest once.

The survey besides showed astir 40 per cent of those 15 and older who vaped successful the erstwhile 30 days from erstwhile the survey was conducted said they had ne'er smoked previously.

Saks’ bureau said they person been moving with baccy power groups successful the past twelvemonth including meetings arsenic caller arsenic aboriginal this month.

Cunningham said a nationalist prohibition is needed due to the fact that it would woody with interprovincial shipments, online income and could perchance impact the Canada Border Services Agency handling products that get from different countries.

Yet vaping advocacy groups similar Rights4Vapers accidental a afloat prohibition would effect successful radical turning backmost to cigaret smoking, adding it would besides spark an illicit market.

“In 1 of the biggest provinces successful Canada, flavours were banned, that is Quebec, and thing has happened,” Maria Papaioannoy, a spokesperson for Rights4Vapers, said. “Flavours are available. There’s an illicit achromatic market; it is thriving.”

Trending Now

Rights4Vapers are among the organizations that person had discussions with Saks astir imaginable restrictions.

While she said afloat restrictions would not beryllium helpful, Papaioannoy told Global News determination are ways to guarantee flavoured vape products could beryllium limited.

She pointed to Ontario arsenic 1 example, which lone permits flavoured vaping products to beryllium advertised and sold successful specialty vaping stores that merchantability lone to customers 19 and older.

But acquisition is besides needed, looking astatine what whitethorn beryllium prompting younker to crook to vaping.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, galore students who vaped reported utilizing e-cigarettes due to the fact that they consciousness anxious, stressed oregon depressed.

“So we request to look astatine these things and look deeper alternatively of being reactive and being dramatic,” she said. “The information is, we prohibition flavours, kids volition spell to a achromatic market.”

Sam Tam, president of the Canadian Vaping Association, said specified a determination by vape users is wherefore absorption should beryllium connected strengthening retail enforcement, specified arsenic ensuring fines for selling to minors is punitive.

“So those that are deliberately selling to minors, they volition deliberation doubly earlier committing non-compliant actions connected sales,” Tam said.

Tuesday’s comments from a authorities root are the closest to a steadfast day provided and travel conscionable a fewer weeks aft anti-tobacco wellness groups called connected Saks to implement a prohibition swiftly oregon resign.

The groups said provinces were struggling nether a deficiency of national enactment connected the contented and made accusations of manufacture interference successful a prohibition connected flavoured vape products.

— with files from Global News’ Jillian Piper