The Canadian Vaping Association urges the Quebec government to focus on consumer education on vaping

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2019 /CNW/ - The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) is urging the Quebec government to differentiate between vaping e-liquids and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabis oils, so that consumers who are misinformed about the facts around vaping don't turn to combustible tobacco or the black market.

Flavours have widely been blamed as a key driver for the recent youth update seen across North America, despite the fact that tens of thousands of flavours have been introduced to the marketplace with little to no impact on youth uptake rates since the inception of the industry.

The Centre for Disease Control finally acknowledged last week that a vast majority of the mysterious, vaping-related lung illnesses are in fact linked to black-market cannabis products — not nicotine and not the legal market.

"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," said Darryl Tempest, Executive Director of The Canadian Vaping Association. "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."

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 any 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]