SPOTLIGHT
ON CANADA
Friend or Foe
As more flavour bans and restrictions come into force , is Canada still the vape-friendly country it once was ?
Words : Benedict Jones
North America is the single largest consumer of vapour products and when a new industry generates this kind of public awareness , increased scrutiny should always be expected .
For the last few years , all eyes have been on the USA where prohibitive regulatory reform at state and federal level and a political and media-led moral panic about vaping has had a devastating impact on the industry . These factors have seen businesses go to the wall and vapers return to smoking where they have been unable to get the liquids they want to stay away from cigarettes . While the spotlight has very much been on the USA , it is clear that sentiment and legislation has been changing in Canada too . The 2018 Tobacco and Vaping Products Act ( TVPA ) was broadly welcomed by the industry as it set clear standards for all vapour products on the market and did not impact flavours . However since then , we have seen a growing number of Canadian provinces introducing their own legislation , with more prohibitive rules . These are some of the changes :
Nova Scotia
Since April all flavoured vapour products have been banned in Nova Scotia and a month later a 20mg / ml cap was placed on the nicotine content of e-liquids . A new tax on vaping came into force on September 15 and Nova Scotia will also be one of the first provinces to require sales permits for vapour products , though enforcement of this policy has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic .
British Columbia
British Columbia began enforcement of a new set of vaping regulations from September 15 2020 . In many ways , these rules are modelled on the Tobacco Products Directive ( TPD ) which has been in place in the EU since 2016 .
The Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Regulation enforces plain packaging , a 20mg / ml nicotine cap , limits e-liquid bottles containing nicotine to 30ml , restricts the sale of flavoured products to adult-only retailers and prohibits the advertisement of vapour products where minors are likely to see them .
Ontario
As of July 1 2020 , Ontario has imposed a 20mg / ml nicotine cap on all e-liquids and restricted the sale of flavoured vapour products to speciality retailers , such as vape and cannabis stores . Specialist retailers cannot advertise vapour products in a way that is visible outside the premises and non-specialist retailers are completely prohibited from advertising vapour products .
Prince Edward Island
As of March 2020 , P . E . I . increased the age of access for tobacco and vaping products to 21 and restricted the sale of vapour products to specialist retailers , including vape shops and tobacconists . New regulations to ban the sale of flavoured vapour products will come into force on March 1 2021 .
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