Some controversial changes proposed for vaping products hope to cut down on vaping among youth..
The federal government is looking at lowering the nicotine concentration limit to 20 milligrams of nicotine per millilitre of product, down from 66mg/mL.
The Canadian Cancer Society is praising the idea, calling it essential to reduce youth vaping. Between 2017 and 2019, the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey found vaping doubled among students.
However, officials in the tobacco industry say it’ll make it harder for smokers to switch to vaping as a way to reduce or quit nicotine.
Eric Gagnon, Vice President of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Imperial Tobacco Canada claims the lower limits will push many former smokers who now vape back to smoking to satisfy nicotine cravings.
Nova Scotia already enacted the most stringent vaping rules in the country, including nicotine capped at 20 milligrams per millilitre.
A recent report released by Ernst & Young showed a 21.1% increase in legal tobacco sales year-over-year in the province.
The report suggests that the ban on flavoured vaping products could be playing a role in that uptick, and also points to potential difficulties in the contraband tobacco supply chain due to COVID-19 as another factor.
