Heart & Stroke welcomes the introduction of draft regulations announced today by Christian Dubé, Minister of Health and Social services. The regulations would ban all vape flavours and limit nicotine concentration to 20 mg/ml – restrictions Heart & Stroke have long advocated for in response to high youth vaping rates and associated dangers to their health.
For many years, Heart & Stroke has urged the government to ban flavours, limit nicotine concentration and implement a special tax on vaping products; a tax that was announced a few months ago and will come into effect next fall. The addition of these new measures are essential to help further reduce the youth vaping crisis. Heart & Stroke is also supportive of the proposed restrictions on the look of vape products and limits on the size of vape liquid tanks.
According to a study funded by Heart & Stroke and conducted among Quebecers aged 16 to 24, young Quebecers start vaping before their 15th birthday; vape six days a week, 31 times a day. “More than a quarter of young people started smoking cigarettes after they started vaping because they are addicted to nicotine. This is why the proposed limit on the concentration of nicotine in vaping products is excellent news, especially since we know that nicotine is harmful to developing brains” says Kevin Bilodeau, director, Government relations, Quebec, at Heart & Stroke. This measure will strengthen the national regulations put in place in January and will allow the provincial authorities to crack down if it is not respected.”
Another Heart & Stroke priority in recent years has been a comprehensive ban on flavors in vaping products. “Imposing a comprehensive ban on flavours is an essential part of keeping young people safe. Nine out of ten young people say flavours are an important reason why they started vaping and the same number say it’s an important reason why they continue to do so, says Bilodeau. A complete ban on flavours, including fruit, mint and menthol, would be a big step in the right direction. Young people deserve to be protected from these addictive products.”
The regulations, which will now undergo a 45-day consultation period, will allow Quebec to join five other Canadian provinces and territories who have adopted or implemented comprehensive restrictions on vape flavours: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
About the survey
The survey involved Quebec teens and young adults aged 16 to 24 who had vaped at least once a week in the past three months with a total of 299 respondents. The survey was conducted between November 2020 and January 2021.
About Heart & Stroke
Life. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why Heart & Stroke has been leading the fight to beat heart disease and stroke for 70 years. We must generate the next medical breakthroughs, so Canadians don’t miss out on precious moments. Together, we are working to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy. Heartandstroke.ca @HeartandStroke
Contact information
Maryse Bégin
Maryse.Begin@coeuretavc.ca
514-669-6297