Cotton Candy Clouds - Flavoured Vaping Products
Advocates against vaping flavours seem to be winning the battle to ban all flavoured vaping products. The purpose of banning flavoured smoking products is to reduce the appeal of smoking to Canadian youth. Flavours also tend to mask the irritating effect of smoke allowing for easier experimentation by new users. Research has shown that the best way to prevent deaths from smoking-related diseases is to prevent people from smoking in the first place, especially when they are young.
Most Canadians who have smoked had done so by the age of 18, many of which going on to become lifetime nicotine users. Another study cited that flavouring and smell was the primary reason for youth trying vaping, while adults 25 years and older were drawn to vaping primarily for smoking reduction and reduced harm to their health. While vaping is considered signifi-cantly less harmful than smoking cigarettes, there is evidence that vaping has immediate and long-term health risks such as lung damage, nicotine poisoning, and addiction.
Flavoured tobacco products are already prohibited in Alberta. In 2015, Alberta’s Progressive Conservative government banned nearly all flavoured tobacco excluding menthol products. Following the NDP’s 2015 election victory, former Health Minister Sarah Hoffman swiftly included menthol products in the ban which came into effect on June 1, 2015.
Alberta became the last province to introduce legislation on vaping products in 2020. Minister of Health Tyler Shandro introduced Bil 19: Tobacco and Smoking Reduction Amendment Act. Bill 19 was aimed to help reduce the health risks associated with smoking and second-hand smoke as well as address the surge in youth vaping. In 2018-19, teen vaping rates rose to 30% among students in grades 10-12. The new rules following the implementation of Bill 19 included: a maximum capacity of 20 mg/mL of nicotine in vape e-liquid, restricted advertising, display and promotion of nicotine products in convenience stores, aligning vaping restrictions with that of tobacco, and establishing fines for vaping violations in alignment with existing tobacco fines. It also included the power to regulate flavouring in vape products in the future.
Despite the fact that flavoured vape has significantly increased nicotine addiction in youth, it still is not a cut and dry decision to ban flavouring entirely. Vaping products were initially aimed to aid in smoking cessation for adult smokers, as the risks associated with vaping are significantly lower than those with combustible tobacco products. Removing flavoured vapes as an alternative for those looking to quit smoking could reduce the positive impact of vaping on adult smokers. It also could turn the third of youth that vape towards using more harmful sources of nicotine like cigarettes and chewing tobacco.
Another regulatory hurdle will be addressing flavouring in marijuana vaping products, as cannabis contains numerous natural terpenes which are the building blocks for flavouring. Health authorities would need to ban only non-cannabis-derived terpenes, significantly increasing the cost for cannabis producers. It would be nearly impossible to ban specific flavours of cannabis terpenes without drastically altering the production, supply, and consistency of marijuana products.
Those who oppose the flavour ban call it harmful regulation that is based on misguided moral panic – something that many health professionals disagree with. However, it would bode well for the government to heed their warnings of turning vape product consumers to the black market. Counterfeit vape materials were discovered to be the culprit of the majority of serious vaping-related illnesses and deaths in North America. These unregulated products often contained vitamin E oil as a thickening agent (which is hazardous if inhaled), as well as other toxic chemicals. To add to this concern, the black market has already begun to boom with the recent restrictions on nicotine concentration in vape juice. Illicit products are harmful to consumers and lead to lost revenues for the government.
Presently, Health Canada has put forward draft regulations that would restrict all e-cigarette flavours with the exclusion of tobacco, mint, and menthol. The proposal also would prevent the use of most flavouring ingredients, including all sugars and sweeteners, in vaping products. The Canadian Cancer Society has praised Health Canada for the restrictions but calls for menthol and mint to be added to the ban. Conversely, the Vaping Industry Trade Association has come out in strong opposition to the ban, arguing that it would not curb youth nicotine addiction but rather make smoking cessation much more difficult and harm those within the vaping industry. While the debate on this topic continues, it will be unlikely that Canadians will see new restrictions until 2022.
