Ontario set to tighten vape laws
Candace Jones, owner of Ice Blue Vapour in Belleville, takes a break from helping customers on Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Brendan Burke/QNet News
BELLEVILLE – The Ontario government is set to tighten vape and electronic cigarette laws in a bid to regulate the increasingly popular smoking alternative.
The proposed changes would see vaping – the act of inhaling and exhaling vapour produced by an electronic device – prohibited in the same areas where tobacco smoking is banned, including workplaces, enclosed public spaces, and other outdoor areas like playgrounds. Public medical marijuana usage will also be subject to the same rules – a stark contrast from the vape-friendly laws previously proposed.
According to the provincial government, the policy turnaround is part of an Ontario-wide effort to curb smoking and reduce the risk of second-hand smoke. The still-unclear effects of vapour is also cited as a catalyst for the province’s revamped stance.
Along with restrictions for public usage, the new laws would also establish rules and guidelines for how vapes are advertised and sold. This comes after age restrictions on e-cigarette sales were put in place on Jan. 1.
In a statement released on March 10, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care outlined plans to control the “use, display and promotion of electronic cigarettes,” according to the Ontario government’s website.
For Candace Jones, owner of Ice Blue Vapour in Belleville, the government’s promise to reevaluate how e-cigarettes and vapes are sold is troubling.
Ice Blue Vapour’s vape lounge(pictured above) could be shut down if Ontario’s proposed laws are passed. Photo by Brendan Burke/QNet News
“It’s concerning,” she said.
The updated legislation would see in-store sampling – like the free testing featured in Ice Blue Vapour’s “vape lounge” – banned.
Jones would also be required to move e-juice out of sight behind the counter, but she says she’s more worried about her customers than Ice Blue Vapour’s bottom line.
“The vape bar is pretty essential for customers so they can figure out what flavours work for them. We really rely on the taste bar for people to pick out the juice that will be the most effective for them … to help them stop smoking or cut down on smoking.”
Jones says she’s seen the benefits of e-cigarettes and vapes as a smoking cessation aid first hand.
“This is something that is helping people. I’ve seen people come in here with lots of health conditions, and they’re health does generally improve if they stop smoking and turn to vaping.”
While Jones believes advertising and on-site testing is necessary to educate customers on how to safely use e-cigarettes, she says she understands the province’s tough stance on vaping in other public areas.
“When I go inside a restaurant, I don’t think anybody should be allowed to blow a cloud a vapour. But, inside a vape store, people should be allowed to vape. It’s part of the process.”
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s tobacco control manager Roberto Almeida says new laws will help combat the renormalization of smoking caused by vaping. Photo by Brendan Burke/QNet News
Roberto Almeida, Tobacco Control Manager at Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, says the move to ban public vaping is a step in the right direction, but not necessarily because of any adverse health risks.
“Vaping regulations for the use of these devices indoors – we support that. Not so much from a health hazard from second-hand vapour, but from the modelling effect. The use of e-cigarettes is some cases is similar with tobacco. So we don’t want to renormalize tobacco use.”
As for the display and promotion part of the proposed laws, Almeida admits the benefits are less clear.
“We’re not too sure about that. We hope there’s a reasonable compromise when it comes to regulation so it allows reasonable restrictions, while allowing customers to view and feel what these products are like.”
Almeida adds that the verdict is still out of the use of e-cigarettes as aids for tobacco cessation.
“Some people are using them as a cessation device, and although the evidence is not conclusive at this time, there is reason to believe that these devices may help people quit smoking.”
While the clampdown is set to take effect in the summer, the province isn’t ruling out the merits of vaping altogether. Officials say research is being funded to assess the potential of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid.
Between 2000 and 2014, Ontario’s smoking rate dropped from 24.5 per cent to 17.4 per cent – 408,000 fewer smokers.
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