IMPERIAL TOBACCO CANADA SUPPORTS HEALTH CANADA IN THEIR QUEST TO ADDRESS YOUTH VAPING WHILE OFFERING ADULTS A CHANCE TO QUIT SMOKING
MONTREAL, March 22, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - In its response to Health Canada's consultation on vaping, Imperial Tobacco Canada encourages the federal government to continue to take the necessary steps to restrict youth access while maximising the potential benefits these products can offer adult smokers.
"We fully support what Health Canada is trying to do with its notice of intent to regulate vaping products," said Eric Gagnon, Head of Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Imperial Tobacco Canada. "Health Canada has already acknowledged that vaping products are a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, and we support them in their effort to regulate these products in a way that will achieve their full potential among adult smokers while restricting youth access."
Health Canada is not alone in its approach to vaping. Multiple studies and academic journals have reaffirmed the less harmful nature of vaping products, while many health groups, including Public Health England (the United Kingdom's equivalent of Health Canada), have estimated that vaping products are at least 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes. The UK's approach to vaping has resulted in over 1.7 million smokers quitting 1.
"To achieve the federal government's objective of reducing the smoking rate to 5 percent by 2035, we need adult smokers to be aware of the alternatives available to them," stated Gagnon. "We have a tremendous opportunity with potentially reduced risk products, and as we have seen in progressive countries like the United Kingdom that have endorsed vaping, adult smokers are more likely to switch once they are aware of the alternatives available to them."
In order for these products to achieve their full potential, it will require the federal and provincial governments to implement a regulatory framework that allows and supports the responsible communication to adult smokers, the education of retailers on the appropriate methods of sale, and the prevention of youth from accessing the products.
As part of its transforming tobacco journey, Imperial Tobacco Canada continues to embrace the principles of harm reduction by offering adult smokers with a range of products with reduced risk potential, such as Vype, its portfolio of vaping products, and glo, its tobacco heated product.
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1 http://ash.org.uk/media-and-news/press-releases-media-and-news/ash-news-release-new-data-shows-smokers-are-getting-the-message-on-e-cigarettes/
SOURCE Imperial Tobacco Canada
For more information or interview requests, please contact: Travon Smith, Torchia Communications, W: (416) 341-9929 ext 222, C: (647) 515-2903, [email protected]; Paul Vaillancourt III Torchia Communications, C: 514-996-6224 [email protected]
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