NEWS
NEWS
Canadian Government to Introduce New Tobacco and Vaping Products Legislation
Health minister says new laws are needed to protect young people from nicotine addiction and tobacco use .
The Canadian government says it plans to regulate vaping products to make them less accessible to young people . The proposed Tobacco and Vaping Products Act will amend the current Tobacco Act to regulate vaping products as a separate class of products . New provisions would be included to protect young people from nicotine addiction and tobacco use while allowing adults to access vaping products as likely less harmful alternatives to tobacco use . Data from the recently released 2015 Canadian Tobacco , Alcohol and Drugs Survey indicate that in 2015 , 26 % of Canadian youth aged 15-19 reported having ever tried an e-cigarette , up from 20 % in 2013 . The new federal regime would regulate the manufacture , sale , labelling and promotion of vaping products and would include provisions such as restricting sales to youth , restricting certain flavours , like candy , that appeal to youth , and measures such as child-resistant packaging to help protect children from nicotine poisoning . The proposed Tobacco and Vaping Products Act would also support the Government of Canada in delivering on its commitment to implement plain packaging for tobacco products to help make tobacco products less attractive and less appealing . It would also harmonize compliance and enforcement authorities for both tobacco and vaping products with other modern statutes administered by Health Canada . Furthermore , as part of the Government of Canada ’ s efforts to develop a new and innovative Federal Tobacco Control Strategy , Health Minister Jane Philpott will host a national forum in early 2017 , to discuss the future of tobacco control . The Minister said : ““ The introduction of this important legislation is the next step in the Government ’ s work to protect young Canadians from nicotine addiction and tobacco use . “ At the same time , it introduces an approach to vaping products that
The new federal regime would regulate the manufacture , sale , labelling and promotion of vaping products and would include provisions such as restricting sales to youth , restricting certain flavours , like candy , that appeal to youth , and measures such as child-resistant packaging to help protect children from nicotine poisoning .
” considers their potential benefits to smokers . I look forward to seeing this Bill through the legislative process .” Health Canada said it will be working closely with stakeholders , Indigenous partners , provinces and territories to move forward with the new legislation . According to the 2015 Canadian Tobacco , Alcohol and Drugs Survey , 13 % of Canadians aged 15 and up ( 3.9 million ) had ever tried an e-cigarette , an increase from the 9 % ( or 2.5 million ) reported in 2013 . One in four youth aged 15-19 has ever tried an e-cigarette . Health Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research are working collaboratively to generate relevant data on vaping products and aim to bring these data together in ways that can inform policy and regulatory decisions . Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of premature death and disease in Canada . Every 14 minutes , a Canadian dies from tobacco-related illness which is the equivalent of 37,000 Canadians per year . The vast majority of smokers begin by adolescence or young adulthood . In Canada , 82 % of current adult daily smokers had smoked their first cigarette by the age of 18 . In 2015 alone , 115,000 Canadians began smoking cigarettes daily .
22 ISSUE 08 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE