N.S. to ban flavoured vaping products
HALIFAX, N.S. – The Nova Scotia government will ban flavoured e-cigarettes and vaping juice by April 1.
The move comes after a recent Smoke-free Nova Scotia survey concluded 95 per cent of young Nova Scotians who vape said they prefer flavoured juices and over 48 per cent said they would quit if flavours were banned.
“Obviously this decision is in response to our concerns about growth in particular of youth vaping in Nova Scotia so that’s why we’re taking this step,” Health Minister Randy Delorey told reporters after the recent announcement.
Nova Scotia is the first jurisdiction in Canada to announce a full flavour ban.
Studies have shown youth who vape are more likely to try tobacco, Delorey said, “so this is not just about reducing vaping access and us, but also as a means to stem potential transfers into traditional tobacco use.”
The province will roll out a public education campaign in the new year and introduce legislation in the upcoming session to further address vaping. A letter will be sent to all known retailers of vaping products to inform them of the flavour ban. Delorey said the delay in implementation was partly to give retailers time to adjust to the new policy.
Representatives of health organizations who attended the news conference welcomed the move but said more must be done to curb youth vaping, such as increasing the legal age from 19 to 21.
Smoke-free Nova Scotia director Mohammed Alhamdani and Nova Scotia Lung Association CEO Robert Macdonald told reporters increased taxes on vaping products would help curb youth use.
“That would still place them at a lower price point in comparison to cigarettes, yet it will aggressively reduce youth vaping rates because they tend to be more price-sensitive.”
In a news release after the announcement, NDP Leader Gary Burrill said more must be done to restrict young people’s access to these products
The NDP tabled legislation this fall that would require tobacco and vaping stores be at least three kilometres away from schools and require vendors to request proof of age from buyers who appear to be under 25, Burrill said.
Delorey wouldn’t comment on the specifics being considered as part of the new vaping legislation his government plans to introduce in the spring.
“We do have work underway to implement further restrictions that will be part of legislation that will come forward,” he said.
Kelly Cull, regional director of public policy for the Canadian Cancer Society, said she was “really, really pleased” Nova Scotia has announced a full flavour ban. But her organization also sees the move as a first step.
“We have a number of recommendations but the core ones would involve first raising the minimum age to 21 as we’ve recently seen done in P.E.I.,” she said.
“We’d like to see the number of retail locations for these cigarettes being reduced to adult-only venues. There are a number of other options, things like banning online sales, capping nicotine levels, the things we’ve seen in other jurisdictions.”
Tim Houston, leader of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives, has been calling for a vaping flavour ban since October, and he also wants to make it illegal for people under 19 to possess any tobacco products. Houston said he’s also open to conversations about raising the vaping age.
“But my main focus was the flavours and the youth vaping rates are way too high and it is harmful so any action that the government could take to address that is a good first step,” he said.
A vaping product retailer in Halifax said the ban will kill her business and won’t address the root cause of the youth vaping problem. Caitlynne Hines of Halifax Cloud Company said the government should raise taxes and restrict who can sell vaping products.
“What government doesn’t really realize, because they haven’t looked into the root cause of the issue, is kids are getting these products at gas stations and convenience stores where they’re not ID’D,” Hines said.
“Only specific dedicated vape shops should be able to sell these products,” said Hines, who said her store is “extremely strict” with Id-ing customers.