The Legault government has ruled that it will ban the sale of vapor products that taste different from tobacco.
• Also read: Vaping: Quebec wants to ban flavors
• Also read: UK offers vapes to get smokers off the hook
• Also read: Vaping rate of concern: The electronic cigarette is becoming more and more popular among young people
Health and Social Affairs Minister Christian Dubé released a draft regulation on Wednesday morning to better regulate the electronic smoking industry.
In a press crowd in Parliament, Mr Dubé pointed out that this regulation will contain four measures, the most important of which is the elimination of flavors in vapor products. Quebec also intends to limit the capacity of tanks and pods, as well as the volume of refill containers used to vaporize liquids.
“It was extremely important for us,” said Minister Dubé, drawing a parallel with the ban on flavorings in cigarettes.
“Remember the menthol problem a few years ago, there was menthol and there was little cherry cigars and then etc. And it was seen as the right thing to do to eliminate that attraction with fake flavors for people who might need to quit smoking” , he said.
We’re committed to better regulating vaping, and we ajd do that. We therefore act in prevention, one of the pillars of our health plan. These are concrete measures to promote a healthy lifestyle and improve the health of the population. @IsabelleCharest pic.twitter.com/M0genezwfW
— Christian Dubé (@cdube_sante) April 19, 2023
Then Minister for Sport, Leisure and Outdoors, Isabelle Charest, insisted on the importance of making vaping products less attractive to prevent young people from developing tobacco addictions that could affect them throughout their lives.
But isn’t there a risk that the flavor ban will lead to a problem of smuggling of these products, since the demand is very high at the moment? To this question, Minister Dubé replied that he was “aware” of the problem, but that the government “did not want to get involved in promoting access” to tobacco products for the population.
“For cigarette lobbies, it’s overly profitable to join vaping because it’s a way to encourage new smokers (…). We’re very firm in that, we have a public health recommendation and we’re dealing with that,” he added.
The regulations will come into force in 90 days and consultations will take place over the next few weeks.
Remember that last January the government increased the tax on tobacco products.