Province restricts sale of flavoured vape products in effort to limit youth access

The Saskatchewan government has made changes to tobacco and vapour products legislation to limit the accessibility of flavoured vaping products to youth. Beginning on Sept. 1, an amendment to the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act will restrict the sale of flavoured vape products to adult-only vape shops, further limiting the marketing and availability of vaping to youth.

"Vapour flavoured products like strawberry and ice cream give young people the false impression that vaping is harmless when it is every bit as habit-forming as smoking," said Health Minister Paul Merriman, in a press release.

The changes will not apply to tobacco, mint or menthol flavoured products.

Vaping products are currently available for purchase wherever tobacco products are sold. The goal of the new legislation is to reduce the use of vaping products in youth.

The new amendment follows previous changes enacted in December 2019, which ruled that vaping products would be treated the same way as tobacco products. This includes limiting the sale of vaping products and e-cigarette devices to individuals aged 18 and older and no longer allowing the use of vapes in and around public buildings, including schools. Retailers were also prohibited from displaying, selling and advertising vaping products in businesses or public spaces where young people have access or often frequent. "Building upon the legislation this government introduced to regulate vape products as we do tobacco, we want to provide our youth with every opportunity to choose to be tobacco and vape-free," continued Merriman.

These changes came into effect in February of 2020, following up on an announcement from Health Canada that the long-term health risks from vaping will be monitored due to reports of respiratory illnesses potentially connected to vaping.