Canada National Vaping Flavour Ban Coming 'Soon'

Ya’ara Saks, Canada’s minister of mental health and addictions, has announced that the federal government will ban most vape flavours across the country soon, more than three years after Ottawa first promised to bring in the regulations. In an interview with CBC News last week, Saks stated, “We have made a commitment from the start to restrict flavours. We haven’t wavered from that. We will have this in place soon. I don’t anticipate this is going to take much longer.”

Saks’ promise comes in response to a press conference held by a coalition of anti-tobacco health groups in Ottawa earlier this month, where they called on the minister to introduce the ban swiftly or resign. The groups accused Saks of bowing to vaping industry pressure by failing to finalize the regulations this spring, as the federal government had planned.

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Health Canada’s 2021 Warning and Rising Teen Vaping Rates

In June 2021, Health Canada vowed to restrict vaping flavours to mint, menthol, and tobacco, citing a “rapid increase in youth vaping in Canada.” The agency pointed to research showing that young people are more likely to start vaping with fruity and sweet flavours, stating, “The availability of a variety of desirable flavours is believed to have contributed to the rise in youth vaping.”

Three years after that warning, Canada now has one of the highest teen vaping rates in the world. Statistics Canada reports that nearly half of all young adults have tried vaping, and most new vape users (86 per cent) were never cigarette smokers, according to the most recent Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey.

Provincial and Territorial Flavour Bans and Lessons Learned

While Ottawa has spent the last three years consulting on regulations, six provinces and territories have brought in their own flavour bans: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I., Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Quebec. Saks attributed the delay in national regulations to Health Canada’s desire to learn from Quebec’s experience, as the province banned flavours a year ago.

“We’ve … seen in jurisdictions like Quebec, where banning of flavours has led to an illicit market that is accessible,” Saks said. “So as we move forward with this, we want to make sure that we get it right.” The federal government aims to ensure that the regulations will be enforceable and won’t inadvertently encourage underground flavoured vape sales.

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Calls for Swift Action and Industry Pressure

Flory Doucas, co-director of Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, argued that the emerging illicit market in Quebec is the very reason why there needs to be a national flavour ban now. Currently, customers in Quebec can easily order flavoured vaping products approved by Health Canada from a retailer operating out of a province that doesn’t have a ban.

Doucas criticized the federal government’s delay, stating, “The argument … of delaying the regulation because there are issues in provinces is pretty rich, because the federal framework has made it very easy for industry to skirt these provincial regulations.”

The vaping industry held its own press conference in Ottawa last week, calling on Saks not to ban flavours. Sam Tam, president of the Canadian Vaping Association, claimed that adult smokers rely on vaping as a less-harmful option to cigarettes and that appealing flavours make switching easier for them.

Challenges in Regulating Vaping Compared to Nicotine Pouches

Saks acknowledged that the fact that vaping has been around for much longer makes regulating it harder compared to nicotine pouches, which Health Minister Mark Holland banned the sale of fruity flavours within a year of them hitting shelves.

“The [nicotine pouch] market is a newer marketplace that Minister Holland was able to nip at before it had proliferated,” Saks said. “Vaping products have been around for quite a long time. And we’ve also seen shifts and changes in the marketplace.”

Despite the challenges, Saks emphasized her commitment to introducing the flavour ban quickly, stating, “I am seized with this. We do want to get this out as quickly as possible.”

News source:
National ban on vaping flavours coming ‘soon,’ says addictions minister

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Matthew Ma

Marketing at Ecigator

With over a decade of experience in the e-cigarette industry, Matthew Ma is a seasoned expert in both the manufacturing and usage aspects of vaping products. His extensive background has provided him with a deep understanding of the intricacies and evolving dynamics of e-cigarettes.