NEWS
BETTER
TOGETHER
The North American Vapor Alliance will work for
industry both sides of the border
By Gordon Stribling
“The key is to get the regulation right to meet
mandatory professional manufacturing
and retail standards … and to promote
tobacco harm reduction.”
A Canadian industry advocacy group has partnered with a US
counterpart to form the North American Vapor Alliance (NAVA).
The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) and the American E-liquid
Manufacturing Standards Association (AEMSA) announced the
partnership in September, with the promise to promote ‘sensible’
cross-border vaping regulations.
The group will push for regulations that strike a balance between
encouraging smokers to switch to less-harmful alternatives and
ensuring that products meet strict safety standards and do not fall
into the hands of youths.
AEMSA president Scott Eley, said:
“The key is to get the regulation right so that electronic vapor products
meet mandatory professional manufacturing and retail standards, so
innovation for new products is incentivized and to ensure that these
products are regulated to promote tobacco harm reduction and
are not categorized as tobacco products.”
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In the US, the Food and Drug Administration continues to crack
down heavily on so-called ‘tobacco products’, meanwhile the CVA
has developed a positive relationship with Health Canada. CVA
president Shaun Casey hopes that their experience of working
with public health will benefit the AEMSA in their push to provide
guidance to the FDA.
Mr Casey said:
“Canada has already enacted legislation which puts electronic
vaping products in a separate category from tobacco products.
The Canadian Vaping Association is excited to work with AEMSA
as it moves forward developing its Generation 2 standards for
e-liquids, e-liquid components, vaporizer hardware, and retail
accreditations.”
NAVA accepts membership from all federal regulators and not-
for-profit organizations. Members share a commitment to nine
regulatory principles that they believe will allow the industry to
flourish and clear the path for smokers wanting to use reduced-
risk products.
NAVA plans to undertake a ‘best brains exchange’ where representatives
from AEMSA will meet with officials in Ottawa and CVA members
will travel to San Francisco to meet with the FDA.
Canada’s Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) was enacted
on May 23 and many in the US see the act and the EU’s Tobacco
Products Directive (TPD) as blueprints for fair and proportionate
industry regulation.