The Canadian Vaping Association's response regarding the sale of vaping products at convenience stores

TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2019 /CNW/ - The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) is citing the emergency rules put in place in the state of Utah yesterday, surrounding the sale and promotion of vaping products, as leading by example.

"We applaud the state of Utah for its newly announced rules around vaping, whereby only tobacco specialty shops will be allowed to sell flavoured e-cigarettes, and they will be required to post notices on the dangers of vaping unregulated THC products," said Darryl Tempest, Executive Director, The Canadian Vaping Association. "Limiting the sale of flavoured e-cigarette products to age restricted retail environments, which are regulated and inspected by local health departments, is something we believe in strongly and has been a key message in our recommendations to Health Canada for addressing youth uptake."

In a recent media interview about the need for regulation of the vaping industry, the chair of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, Noah Aychental, failed to make a distinction between specialty vape shops that are licensed by the province and operating legally, from the unlicensed black market shops, such as head shops. Ontario specialty product vape shops are regulated by the province and owners have to register with the local health unit.

In fact, Ontario specialty vape shops are subject to the most robust vape product regulations in the country, even more so than the regulatory requirements of convenience stores and gas stations selling these same products in the same province. This distinction is particularly important in light of the acknowledgement by the Centre for Disease Control last week that a vast majority of the mysterious, vaping-related lung illnesses are in fact linked to black-market cannabis vaping products — not nicotine products and not vape products purchased on the legal market.

"We are strongly in favour of tighter regulations surrounding the sale and promotion of nicotine e-liquid vape products, including removing them from all convenience stores, gas stations or any retail location that is not age-restricted, as the entry of vape products into these environments directly correlates with the large spike seen recently in youth uptake. Current federal regulations that have been imposed on the specialty shops to limit visibility of vape products and signage have not been extended to convenience stores, which has allowed for the flagrant promotion we're currently seeing of these products to our province's youth by big tobacco vape brands, including Juul and Vype. Vape products have been proven by the Royal College of Physicians to be at least 95 per cent less harmful than combustible tobacco, and have been a lifeline for many smokers, resolved to quit or significantly reduce their tobacco consumption. Materials provided in specialty vape shops are focused on educating the adult smoker on this much less harmful alternative to combustible tobacco. This critical educational element is missing in gas stations and convenience stores. Vaping products are far more complex than the traditional combustible tobacco products that convenience stores have been selling for years and thus require educated shop owners to assist consumers in their transition.  We need to get the national conversation focused on the unprecedented public health opportunity vaping provides Canadians seeking alternatives to tobacco and implement regulations that support the intended purpose of this product while protecting our youth. We call on Mr. Aychental to correct the record as the province has already recognized and regulated the value that adult only specialty vape shops bring: restricting youth access, eliminating the marketing of these products to youth and, most importantly, providing education on this critical harm reduction alternative for adult smokers," Tempest added.

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 retail and online vaping businesses in Canada, not including tobacco companies or affiliates. 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 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]