Three anti-tobacco groups are calling on Federal Addictions Minister Yaara Sachs to resign if she fails to pass regulations banning flavored e-cigarette products.
At a press conference Friday, the heads of Doctors for Smoking Canada, the Quebec Tobacco Control Federation and ASH Canada said they had been waiting 14 months for the minister to tighten regulations on the e-cigarette market to protect children. Ta.
Draft regulations to remove sweeteners and most flavorings from e-cigarette products were first published. Canada Gazette June 2021However, they have not been finalized.
Florie Doukas, co-director of the Quebec Tobacco Control Federation, said: “Instead of speaking out against an industry that is luring new customers with increasingly affordable, flavorful and playful devices, the minister is actually working with the industry to I met with him,” he said.
“If she is unwilling or unable to complete it in the coming weeks, we ask her to resign and allow someone else to complete the job. .”
Florie Doukas, co-chair of the Quebec Tobacco Control Coalition, and Les Hagen, executive director of ASH Canada, call for Mental Health and Addictions Minister Yaara Sachs to resign if regulations cannot be finalized. discuss. Vape Flavors. “This is about protecting Canada’s children,” Hagen said.
Anti-tobacco groups say other plans to regulate design and packaging, further restrict minors’ access to products and grant public access to data about the tobacco and e-cigarette industries have been put on hold by the federal government. said.
Nicotine pouches are regulated under the Food and Drugs Act and fall under the purview of the Federal Minister of Health. However, e-cigarette products are regulated under the Tobacco and E-Cigarette Products Act, which Sacks oversees.
The Canadian Registry of Lobbyists shows that Sachs met with representatives of the Canadian VAPE Association and Rights 4 Vapers on May 23 to discuss regulations.
Les Hagen, executive director of ASH Canada, said Friday it was “very concerning” to learn that Sachs had recently met with a vaping lobby group.
“The regulatory process is stalled and stalled after a meeting with the e-cigarette industry,” he said.
“There were weak ministers in this file. There were strong ministers in this file. And if this minister needs inspiration, she should go to her colleagues. [Health Minister] Mark Holland,” Hagen said.
Latest Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey According to the report, there will be 240,100 more e-cigarette users in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22, and 86 percent (206,900) of them were not smokers before they started using e-cigarettes.
Youth aged 15-19 (178,000) and youth aged 20-24 (282,000) smoked an e-cigarette within one month of completing the 2022 Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey. More than half of people) fruit flavors In most cases.
“This problem is out of control and the main reason they smoke vaping products is because of all the flavors,” Hagen said.
Statistics Canada data shows young Canadians are more likely to vape than older generations.
In 2022, Canadians aged 15 to 19 will more than twice as likely More people over the age of 25 have tried e-cigarettes, with nearly half (47.5 per cent) of Canadians aged 20 to 24 having tried an e-cigarette.
“This is a different addiction than drinking coffee. This is an addiction that impacts people’s daily lives,” said Cynthia Callard, executive director of the Canadian Association for Smoking Cessation.
Flavored e-cigarettes continue to flow into states where they are banned
Doukas said until the federal government bans the sale of flavored e-cigarettes nationwide, the products will continue to flow into states where they are banned.
So far, six provinces or territories have adopted laws banning flavored e-cigarettes: New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.
Doukas said distributors and manufacturers from other provinces are shipping non-compliant e-cigarette products to Quebec.
“These are companies that the federal government knows about,” she said, adding that Ottawa’s inaction “is hurting the provinces that were trying to protect our young people.”
Sacks’ office declined to comment, but told CBC News he would be available for an interview next week.
Sam Tam, president of the Canadian Vaping Association, a lobby group representing the e-cigarette industry, said it’s important to allow adults the “freedom” to choose flavored e-cigarette products to help them quit smoking.
“You can’t forget about adults,” Tam said, adding that if a smoker “suddenly tried mango flavor, it would definitely be easy to transition.” [from cigarettes] Because it tastes much better that way. ”
Eric Gagnon, vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs at Imperial Tobacco Canada, said in a Friday news release that numerous studies in several countries have found that “providing a basic flavor in smoking cessation products has been shown to help people quit smoking.” The importance of this is emphasized.”
“What’s happening right now with certain advocacy groups exemplifies a serious level of hypocrisy,” he said, noting that these groups are more focused on attacking their own companies and ministers than on the “health and well-being of Canadians.” He accused them of giving priority to
“It’s time to end the fight, do what’s right for Canadians, and work together,” he added.
