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Tag: minors
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Quebec on Track to Ban Flavoured Vapes Starting Oct. 31
Canadians on edge about Quebec flavoured e-liquids ban.
Health Minister Christian Dube announced that on October 31 2023, Quebec plans on banning the sale of all flavoured e-liquids and vaping products.
Only tobacco flavoured and unflavoured e-liquid products will be allowed to be sold.
This ban aims to deter folks from vaping, especially the younger crowd. The goal is to make vaping seem less attractive by providing less options for flavours and products.
Vaping Industry Feedback
The vaping industry and vape users are outraged. Angelina Raimondo, who runs 14 vape stores across Quebec, spoke out to express her upset towards the ban.
“90% of my e-liquid business is flavoured”, she says. “This right here. That’s it out of the entire store”, she says, pointing to a small shelf in one of her shops.
Quebec business owners across the province are wondering how they’ll survive with this ban ensuing soon, due to the rapid drop in sales they will have.
Meanwhile, Flory Doucas of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, is thrilled. “This is really what was needed to reduce the appeal of vaping products among our youth”.
Doucas agrees that this change was necessary in order to reduce vape consumption, but Raimondo argues that vaping has helped for many to quit smoking and that this ban is counterproductive.
She wonders if herself, among others, might end up returning to cigarettes after the flavour ban is put through. Quebec flavoured e-liquids ban removes a popular option for harm reduction from cigarettes.
Black Market Concerns
There is also concern of illegal black market vaping products rising, as mentioned by Eric Gagnon, Imperial Tobacco Canada’s vice-president of legal and external affairs. “[Young people] will inevitably continue to obtain their supplies the same way adults will from now on – through the black market, where products are unlicensed and there are no safety standards.”
Although discourse from either side of the spectrum ensues, pro-vapers are considering taking legal action on the province of Quebec in regards to the flavour ban.
For vapers, purchasing flavoured nicotine products is still possible.
Flavoured vaping products continue to be legal to buy and sell in Ontario and other provinces. It is not against the law to ship products to other provinces. Canada Vapes premium flavoured e-liquids are still available for purchase here.
Although a relief for customers, Quebec based businesses will inevitably suffer under these new restrictions. Quebec sellers will be forced to uphold a new standard when it comes to their products.
Author: Jayna Taylor
References
Dan Spector, Quebec to Ban Flavoured Vapes on October 31st (Global News, 2023). -
Nova Scotia proposes province wide e-cigarette legislation
Nova Scotia Proposes province wide e-cigarette legislation
The new proposed legislation will proses aggressive restrictions against electronic cigarettes province-wide. These potential relations would include:
- Restrictions of selling e-cigarettes to those 19+
- No displaying e-cigarettes on stores
- No advertising e-cigarettes
- Ban the use of e-cigarettes indoors
- Ban any ‘flavorings’ added to e-liquid, except menthol
Health Minister Leo Glavine stated that the government wants to change the definition of smoke to include water pipes and vapour from e-cigarettes. He stated that steps are needed to address emerging evidence that e-cigarettes pose a health risk, especially to young people. What this evidence is was not clearly defined. There are at least 200 studies showing e-cigarettes as successful harm reduction products.
Those opposed, including imperial tobacco state that the province of Nova Scotia is making a ‘big mistake’ by regulating e-cigarettes lumped together with tobacco cigarettes.
Want to do something about this?
Click Here to sign the petition
We need e-cigarette users from Across Canada to ban together in an attempt to let our government know that we do not want our choices away from us. Banning flavoured e-liquid would effectively reduce the choices for Nova Scotia vapers to no flavour and menthol.
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US to ban e-cigarette sales to minors — is Canada Next?
After many years of neglect, the U.S. food and drug administration has finally proposed a rule that would ban the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18. In our humble opinion, this is something that should have been addressed years ago. This long-awaited proposal would be the first federal regulation of electronic cigarettes in the US.
This ruling will be a step towards broader restrictions in the US, after many years of a ‘wild west’ attitude, with no regulations at all. Other areas that will be looked at is the advertising of e-cigarettes and the flavoring options of e-cigarettes. Critics of the advertising of e-cigarettes state that it risks introducing young people to electronic cigarettes in the first place. Others believe that having appropriate warnings for electronic cigarettes — i.e. only for use by adults over the age of 18 on advertisements would be a much better option. Some have argued that the flavouring options; Cotton Candy, and fruit flavours for example, appeal to younger people and should therefore be banned. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the current proposal “lays the foundation for many more actions and activities.“
How will this affect Canadians? Likely not too much in the foreseeable future. Health Canada is typically very slow and methodical to react to anything, and often waits to see how other countries decisions and actions effect their system before taking any action. Health Canada’s response to the US restriction for sale to minors simply said this: “(We are) monitoring the actions of regulators in other jurisdictions, and considering all options for appropriate oversight of these products“. I guess only time will tell, however if the past is any indication of the future, any regulations that take place in the US will likely be copied very slowly in Canada.