Alberta Government review of its tobacco and smoking legislation a measured, evidence-based approach

TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2019 /CNW/ - The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) welcomes the announcement from Minister Shandro on October 2 that the Alberta Government will launch an evidence-based review of the province's vaping regulations, starting November 1, 2019.

Headed by Calgary-Klein MLA, Jeremy Nixon, the review will be part of a wider assessment of the province's tobacco and smoking legislation and will be informed by existing evidence in Canada and in other jurisdictions, including consultation with a diversity of stakeholders in the province.

"We at the CVA are encouraged by today's announcement from Minister Shandro at this time as it's a measured approach focused on ensuring that any changes to existing legislation are informed by facts and evidence," says Darryl Tempest, Executive Director, Canadian Vaping Association. "We at the CVA share the deep concerns of Canadians about the recent cases of lung illnesses, particularly among youth. It's critical that health authorities get to the primary source of this outbreak as non-nicotine e-liquid vaping devices sourced on the black market have been implicated in many cases. It is for this reason that we encourage other provincial law makers and authorities to follow the example of Alberta."

The CVA also strongly advocates keeping these products out of the hands of underage Canadians by stopping the sale of vaping products at convenience stores and gas stations, as well as removing the marketing of nicotine e-liquid vape products outside of adult-only access environments.

About the Canadian Vaping Association

The Canadian Vaping Association (canadianvapingassociation.org) is a registered national, not-for-profit organization, established as the voice for the burgeoning Canadian vaping industry. Founded in 2014, the CVA represents over 200 manufacturing, retail and online vaping businesses in Canada and has no tobacco companies, nor their affiliates, as part of their membership. The association is the primary liaison with the federal and provincial governments on all legislative and regulatory issues related to the industry. The primary goal of the CVA is to ensure that government regulation is reasonable and practical, through the strategy of professional proactive communication and education supplied bilingually to health officers, media, and elected officials.

SOURCE The Canadian Vaping Association

Darryl Tempest, Executive Director, 647-274-1867, [email protected]